Premature Evaluation: Low - Drums And Guns
"All the soldiers, they're all gonna die." The opening line of Low's fantastic new record tells you what's on Alan Sparhawk's mind, and the going gets grim from there. He told Pitchfork:
Near as I can tell, it's all about killing. I was kind of realizing the other day that a lot of the songs deal with either killing someone or dying. I don't know, it's kind of funny...maybe that's the big question. [We're] kind of living in a time when it's good to talk about killing and being killed.Well, a little morbid curiosity never killed anyone. But the angles on killing that Low take are varied, and sometimes sympathetic. On the perfect "Murderer," Alan sings:
One more thing before I go / One more thing I'll ask you Lord / You may need a murderer / Someone to do your dirty work ... Seems like you could use another fool / Well I'm cruel, and I look right though / You must have more important things to do / So if you need a murderer...
Dark stuff, but like you aren't gonna feel for the Alan-voiced (anti) hero. And this second go with Low is another proud moment for Dave Fridmann, who keeps the clang and chime with the Clap, instead toying with the minimalist arrangements the Duluth trio have mastered, opting for cadential, Procol Harum organs (the awesome "Violent Past"), doubled Sparhawk vox, backward guitars, and syncopated, zig-zagging strings (the great, ghostly "Belarus"). And best of all, on "Hatchet," one of the band's poppiest tunes yet, Alan and Mimi harmonize on the lyric of the year:
You be my Charlie, and I will be your George /Use that next time your girlfriend is pissed.
Let's bury the hatchet like The Beatles and the Stones
Drums And Guns is out 3/20 on Sub Pop.
Posted at 8:12 PM in Premature Evaluation
Tags: Low
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god i fucking love them. high on my list for this year.
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the leak's been around for a while... or a few weeks anyway. kinda late, there. i guess i won't be coming here to find a watercooler about neon bible if i want it right when it leaks. anyway, drums and guns is seriously good stuff.
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Never listened to low, 'cept for their single back in the 90's. So someone who has herd all their albums (including this one), can you tell me which one is the best?
P.S>>likeherod2 sounds like an avant music snob.
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I was never a fan of Low or Sparhawk's work until Sparhawk's solo album last year--my favorite album of '06. Then I check out Drums and Guns on the strength of Solo Guitar and find it has a lot of the eerie and somber qualities of Solo Guitar and not so much of older Low.
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woops, i messed up and put my email in the wrong section. here's hoping for spam.
no, i'm not a snob. i was probably better off without the quip of the watercooler being "late," but whatever.
check out secret name and things we lost in the fire.
kthx
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has anyone noticed quite how bad the leak thats come out so far sounds? all the vocals are screwed up. i hope its just a crappy rip instead of the album really sounding like that. its kept me from really giving the leak a GOOD listen despite the fact that ive had it for over a month now.
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I like a lot of Fridmann's work, but each new album that leaks with his production work makes me question his sanity more and more. First it was the nuked sound on Some Loud Thunder, now it's the weird vocal mix (entirely to the right) on this one. I just don't know what to think.
That said, the songs are still pretty fine.
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i'm 99% sure the leaked version is unmastered...all the vocals are to the right on my version. i will wait until the album comes out to make a judgement and listen with skeptical ears
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you're right on this one, This record...miracle! So emotional, pastoral.
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I like the songs a lot.. but I really hope the version that leaked a couple of weeks ago is not the final mix.. that all-vocals-on-the-right thing makes it annoying to listen to in many places.
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"cadential" isn't technically a word, but it sounds good enough that Stereogum should totally copyright it.
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ca·den·tial Pronunciation (k-dnshl)
adj.
1. Of or relating to a cadence.
2. Of or having to do with a cadenza.
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the version with the vocals on the right is in fact the actual record.
not a big fan of how they destroyed some of their best songs in years (had heard them live over the last 2-3 years)
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this record is beautiful. its one of my favorite of theirs. i didnt even know they had it in them though. its a really great surprise.
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i guess i'll be the lone dissenting voice and say that i'm a touch let down on this one. it's not bad, but didn't get me all hot and bubbly either.
as for recomendations, you can do no better than "the curtain hits the cast". that contains their two greatest songs "over the ocean" and "the plan".
also good is "long division" and i quite liked their last record "the great destroyer".
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I would be pretty shocked if that leaked version is the final edit, as they where still working on the album as of er... a month or so ago. My wife did the foldout cover artwork for this album as such we where at least somewhat informed about the project. As well Sparhawk is a bit... unfocused at times so things tend to change pretty quickly.
Really, leaking albums for artists on this level is kind of marginal behavior. They are not "rich" rock stars. Here's hoping if you liked the leaked copy you'll buy the real thing, if for no other reason then to see the foldout artwork ;)
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