Slow Runner's debut album No Disassemble is certainly not without disappointment. The songs are acceptable, but many of them suffer from irritating repetition, unclear intentions and an agonizingly slow tempo. Every song is sung at such a sluggish pace, one wonders why the CD lasts less than 40 minutes.

The first song is the title track "No Disassemble," entirely made up of a synthesizer composing 44 seconds of modulated noise. The sound created can only be described as "noise." Listening to this track is painful. The motivation to include this, especially alone and as the first track, is baffling.

The track leads straight into "Break Your Mama's Back," which is an appreciated relief. "No Disassemble" and "Break Your Mama's Back" are reminiscent of Van Halen's "Eruption" and "You Really Got Me" in the conceptual sense. However, they certainly do not compare in the musical aspect. It would be wise for Slow Runner to downplay the tracks' association, especially if the song appears on the radio.

"Break Your Mama's Back" is simple, but catchy. It sounds as though the music for the entire album was digitally generated on a computer, which occasionally succeeds while at other times just sounds flat and unpleasant. Here, this style works for the song. More and more instruments are added as the song goes on, which provides it with entertaining energy. For example, a consistent clapping sound that does not sound quite like a clap two human hands would make is a welcomed addition early in the song.

The lyrics describe a person who has run away from home, created a new persona and is getting into trouble while his or her mother sits at home worrying. Throughout the song, Slow Runner creates a list of actions taken by this runaway. The problem is that they say what happens, but not why it is happening. Why did this person run away? If they want to make an emotional impact, there needs to be more motivation to these events.

Also, the last lyric in the list of situations seems inappropriate. After singing about getting tattoos, starting fights and dressing in all black, the line "Step on cracks" is the final thing mentioned. Obviously the song's title is taken from the classic children's saying, but that does not need to be pointed out unless a statement of some sort is trying to be made.

Is this song trying to be sarcastic? It is hard to tell. The rest of the lyrics explain a clearly confused individual, and yet "Step on cracks" is given the same amount of footing as receiving two black eyes.

Many of the songs are this way. Merely reading the track list which includes such titles as "You're In Luck," "Happy" and "Moody Suburban Teenage Love Song," it would seem that Slow Runner would be an anti-emo entity. However, the songs often describe sad subjects and definitely not in an outright ironic way, if they are ironic at all. Subtlety is good as long as listeners can follow it. If Slow Runner is trying to be ironic, it is so subtle that the irony is lost.

Seeing the title "Moody Suburban Teenage Love Song," one would expect to hear a satire of love songs written by moody teenagers. This could not be further from the truth. Instead, it is exactly what it is called. Slow Runner must be aware that it is a generic love song and therefore they titled it as such. But if they know that it is generic, why was the song even produced?

Looking past some of the perplexing lyrics and titles, some of the album is still a satisfying listen. "Everything Is Exactly What It Seems" is a standout song. This one avoids the ambiguous trap some of the aforementioned songs fall into. It is a cynical commentary on the way in which nothing and no one changes.

"You're not straying far from who you were in high school," lead singer Michael Flynn states, "Everyone is exactly who they are." Also, there is a steady, likable beat and the vocals sound especially harmonious. If every song took a lesson from this one, the album could have been a lot better.

Slow Runner's biggest problem is that they do not know what they are trying to say. It is hard for listeners to enjoy the songs when they are constantly trying to figure out their intent. Plus, there is little unique about Slow Runner. Their music is average, the singing is nothing special and the lyrics lack insight. Most of what they do has all been done before, and without the head start, Slow Runner will have a tough time making up ground.

2 out of 5