Far too often, journalists seem to consult the same laundry list of terms when writing about pop records. From "tuneful," "melodic" and "well-crafted" to "jangly guitars," "throbbing bass" and "propulsive beat," the clichés and redundancies spill forth to yield text better suited to catalog entries than used as actual reviews. Don't you wish the critics would simply tell you how the music makes them feel sometimes? True, pop's a language, and it has its own signifiers and shorthand. But it's also a dialect rich in emotion, and dispassionate analysis doesn't always do it justice. Michael Slawter clearly holds a doctorate in the dialect of pop. “An Assassination of Someone You Knew” will transport you back and make you feel things you haven't felt in ages. A veteran of the North Carolina music scene, Slawter fronted the short-lived pop/punk quartet Neidermeyer and The Saving Graces. Neidermeyer’s sole recorded offering, "For Those About to Pop" won them 2001 pop-rock album of the year honors from The Winston-Salem Journal. The newspaper praised Slawter for creating tunes as "smart and entertaining as (the band's) name." Slawter soon decided he wanted a band that reflected his own vision. In 2002, the Saving Graces were born. In the fall of that year "These Stars Are For You," was released by respected Portland, Oregon indie The Paisley Pop Label to almost unanimous critical acclaim. Over five songs, "These Stars Are For You" effortlessly blended 60s-vintage Britpop ("The Things that Make You Strange"), bouncy New Wave-style rock ("Idiot Proof") and gorgeous balladry ("Sad Golden Waves Goodbye."). On their first full-length LP, Slawter upped the ante to produce "Outside Guiding Lights." Joined by veteran producer Jamie Hoover (Spongetones, Van Deleckis), the 11-song collection presents a fuller picture of Slawter's songwriting capabilities, veering from the energetic, Buzzcocks-inflected "Giving Up The Ghost," to the lovely sturm und jangle of "Southern Gothic Sound," to the deeply personal meditation that is "Why Don't You Cry." In the summer of 2005 Slawter retired from the live music scene, focusing instead on songwriting and recording in his own home studio. Deciding that a solo album was eminent, he once again teamed up with friend and producer Jamie Hoover and Greensboro, NC newest label Just Plain Lucky Records to help bring focus to the project. From opening cut "Count to 10," a buoyant love devotional awash in cross-cutting strums and a tune that could pass for one of Tommy Keene's great anthems, through album closer "Crashing Down," a breakup song with Searchers-style jangles and luminous harmony vocals. The album now titled “An Assassination of Someone You Knew” shows Slawter’s remarkable pop ability with his sweet, urgent vocal style and knack for memorable riffs and classic arrangements.