A collection of tuneful, warm, rockin' and sometimes downright weird
songs guaranteed to thrill and perplex you all at once, Times Like This
is LP number two from Slim Dunlap -- mainstay of the Minneapolis music scene
since the beginning of time and, of course, lead guitarist for The Replacements
1987-91.
The Slim Dunlap Band formed in the summer of 1993 and remains constant to
this day: a traditional two-guitars-bass-and-drums outfit with more potential
angles up their sleeves than most normal humans can comprehend. (They've
GOT to be flexible, 'cause you just never know what their fearless leader's
gonna call for!) Johnny Hazlett covers the bass, Jim Thompson the second
geetar plus some singing, and Brien Lilja plays the drums. Elsewhere on
the record, former 'Mats bandmate Paul Westerberg plays pianos (yes, that's
PIANOS, plural) on the track "Nowheres Near."
Containing more heart than all records released since 1985 combined, Times
Like This follows Slim's solo debut The Old New Me by tipping
the tables upside down and then going slightly sideways. The overall thickly
layered sound of the record can boggle the mind; it's almost as if
Slim heard things in his head and then wrote songs around them. The songs'
topics range from strange cosmetics to touches of nostalgia and regret,
from dangerous mammals to gutwrenching, pure-and-simple romance.
Never one to repeat himself, Slim Dunlap has delivered a record that is
the essence of what rock 'n' roll has always been about: No Rules Apply.