Photo by Aislinn Leggett

I just realized today that I've been listening to The Slip for 7 years now. I saw my first show in April of 1999 downstairs at the Middle East with M, right before he moved out to SF. M went to high school with these guys, and unlike every great band in my high school they actually stayed together, went to music school, and pursued being a real band. When I first saw them, they were a straight up jazz trio and had more musicianship in their little fingers than any band I'd seen in a long, long time. But they were - dare I say - a little boring. Tight for the sake of being tight...incredibly nimble and mind-blowingly agile musicians, but not actually mind-blowing. I didn't listen to them actively for a long while after that.

Today, though, as they prepare to release their new album Eisenhower (on election day, natch), I'm convinced they're the best band no one's heard of. They have evolved from jazz masters to genre-hopping rock stars and listening to them today finally - and constantly - delivers that mind-blowing experience that was missing the first time I saw them.

In honor of Eisenhower, and because I truly believe everyone should be listening to The Slip, I now present the first of "Jenny's Reasons Why You Should Listen to The Slip:"

#1: Big, BIG sound
I think I first reconnected to these guys by listening to their amazing Alivelectric album. This is truly a headphones album - deep, resonant, and layered. And it's recorded live, which is even more amazing...they don't need a studio to create a sound that's bigger than the three of them, and this album proves it. It also represents a transitional time for the band, as they started to move from pure jazz to something...else. I listened to this almost every day on the train to work for about 6 months when I really needed to...it's one of those rare albums that never fails to put me in a different headspace.

Give Headshot a listen...it's got the same jazzy spirit and complex musicianship that defines the band, but with the benefits of a simpler, more melodic song structure. Like the band, though, it's anything but simple.