Could the swansong single from Matthew Dear's Black City be anything but "Slowdance," that tender piece of goth romanticism tucked between "Little People (Black City)" and "Soil To Seed"? It has such a distinct tone of finality to it-a central, lullaby-like synth, glowing like a streetlamp in fog; a gentle tempo that feels like it's slowly prodding you to the end of an evening; Dear himself lamenting over that and a marble-mouthed vocal sample, sounding like he just got shot in the stomach, eyes glazed over with red. When he eeks out "I can't begin to tell you everything's fine," it sounds like devastating truth. You're almost waiting for the fade to black. Such thrilling juxtapositions are part of what make Black City so great, and, by extension, ... read more