***Long Slow Dance is THE FRESH & ONLYS’ fourth album in as many years. The quartet—TIM COHEN, SHAYDE SARTIN, WYMOND MILES and KYLE GIBSON—has dozens of other releases under their belts: 7-inches, tapes, and EPs for labels like In The Red, Woodsist, Castle Face, Captured Tracks, and Sacred Bones. Far be it from us to tell you that this is one of the best records of the year. Long Slow Dance is a mature, anthemic and—in subtle ways—pretty weird album. A lot is going on here, but it’s not in your face about it. While not their first time in a “real” studio, it’s instantly clear that their time spent at PHIL MANLEY’s Lucky Cat Studios was the most fun and focused recording environment the group’s been in. It’s little touches like that Western guitar line in “20 Days” which are everywhere here. They slyly propel the record beyond what you thought it might be about, or was going to be on first listen (perhaps another tasteful and kind of weird rock record which mixes and matches cool stuff from obscure record collections). It is tasteful, of course, and it clearly mixes many things together. But it does this at the service of forceful songs—frequently witty and often lovely songs. That’s the real reason it’s difficult to stop playing this album once you start. And there you have it—The Fresh & Onlys, here to mess with your head and have you say “Thank you.” (STREET DATE - 9/04/2012)