the LUNA music word 'em up: LOW

Low have been making music for eighteen years now. Through stylistic and personnel changes, mainstays Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker have consistently created some of the most stunning and emotionally-resonant music in the American independent music scene. The band is often credited with creating "slowcore," and while they may try to disassociate themselves from that term, their first three records bore all of the hallmarks of the genre; quiet minimalistic compositions played at the speed of molasses. Over time the band's music grew increasingly lush and atmospheric, leading to a three record run - beginning with "Secret Name" and ending with "Trust" - that longtime fans consider their apex. 2005's "The Great Destroyer" found the band shaking things up considerably and forgoing dirges for straight-up indie guitar rock. Admittedly, I was one of the many fans who were initially left bewildered and disappointed with their change in direction. Over time, though, I have come to appreciate "Destroyer" for what it is; a pretty great collection of melodic indie rock that makes for the perfect road trip album, even if I can't sink into the floor while listening to it like I can when listening to "The Curtain Hits The Cast." The band followed up "Destroyer" with the more experimental "Drums And Guns," a much overlooked and underappreciated meditation on violence. Now Low has released their ninth album "C'mon," which finds the band returning in large part to their classic sound, albeit bringing with them bits and pieces of the places they have been since.

The album begins with "Try To Sleep," a prime example of the band playing it old school, while showing off a few new tricks. It's a mellow, but dynamic, song bolstered by Low's signature harmonies and Parker's cavernous back beat. The piece bares a familial resemblance to classic songs like "Sunflower" and "Starfire," even if it is admittedly sunnier and considerably more polished and restrained than either of those emotional juggernauts. Still, it sounds closer in relation to the those tracks than anything on "Destroyer."

If "Try To Sleep" leaves you wondering what direction the band is headed, "You See Everything," one of the album's best songs, makes it clear that Low are returning to their roots on "C'mon." The Parker led track sounds like it could fit on "Trust" without raising an eye. It is a dark atmospheric song punctuated by her thunderous drums. At the same time, there is a restlessness present throughout the piece that didn't exist in the band's earlier works. The song certainly calls to mind classic Low, yet it is anything but slowcore.

Parker returns with the equally magnificent "Especially Me," another ponderous piece in the vein of classic Low, but sounding more muscular than previously. That sense of toughness runs throughout the album. For instance, "Witches" bares a little of the Neil Youngish guitar that colors Sparkhawk's Retribution Gospel Choir, but rather than sounding like an indie rock song blasted by distorted guitars, it still sounds like a Low song with extra umph. The band isn't trying to sound like anything but Low, but Low sounds like they've been hitting the weights.

And then there is "Majesty/Magic." This one is the real deal, a straight shot of dirge-doom Low. Yes, we have heard the band do this countless times before, but it remains gut-wrenching, powerful stuff. It is no more than a simple beat and minimal instrumentation that grows in intensity until climax while harmonies sing the same refrain over and over again, but it's primal, mantra-like, and sounds like the earth opening up to swallow us whole, making for an incredibly heavy listen.

One of the record's most pleasant surprises is "Nightingale," which calls to mind the earliest Low records. It's a sparse, no frills number that seduces regardless. Like everything else here it benefits from that band's years of playing and exploration. It sounds more confident than anything the band did some eighteen years ago, but it maintains the introverted appeal that made so many of us Low fans in the first place.

There is an argument to be made that Low is not really adding anything new to their repertoire with "C'mon." It would be easy to say this has all been done before by the band, and, at heart, certainly that is true. At the same time, few bands sound this consistent nearly two decades into their career, and Low sounds tighter than they ever have on "C'mon," making for one of the best sounding records in their catalog. Furthermore, there is something to be said for a band like this making a record that finds them returning to the sound that made them so loved in the first place. These guys are professionals now and this is a major league album. Sure it may lack some of the rag tag glory of an upstart, but in the end it's hard not to be in awe of the precision and craft that characterizes Low at this point in their career. It's like watching Michael Jordan play basketball. Does it really matter that he makes the shot every time? It's the thrill of watching him do it, it's the poetry in motion. After all, isn't that what makes him one of our greatest professionals?

I agree, Low aren't reinventing the wheel here, but they are doing what they do best and they are doing it rather wonderfully, and still creating poetry.

Low - C'mon (Short Album Trailer) from Sub Pop Records on Vimeo.