It’s been four years since Low released Drums and Guns; an album of minimalistic compositions partly inspired by the escalating war in Iraq which cast a sombre eye outwards. Singer-guitarist Alan Sparhawk noted that on “the last couple of records, we were grappling with something outside of ourselves. This one feels more like, ‘Well, forget all that. I’m looking in your eyes right now, and we need to figure out how to get through the next moment, together, as human beings.’”
Not only has there been a shift in perspective, but there is also a noticeable shift in the overall tone and sound of the music. The opener Try to Sleep is a wash of slow, jangling guitars, lush vocal harmonies and a natural reverb created by the recording space; a former Catholic church which is now known as Sacred Heart Studios. The high ceilings also mean that the organs and vocals just sound phenomenal throughout the album and lend to the infinitely richer palette of sound that the band draw from throughout C’mon. Sparhawk and Mimi Parker’s vocals just complement each other perfectly on the psych-folk-pop You See Everything which reaches colourful highs before Witches takes it to a darker place with claustrophobic layers of guitar, strings, banjos, percussion and vocals. It plays out like some bizarre dream that straddles the line between our world and nightmares as Sparhawk sings about childhood visions of witches in his room. Done is all sparse heartbreak, slide guitar and angelic harmonies. Especially Me is described by Sparhawk as a “Parker original that anchors the spirit of the whole record.” Her gorgeous, rich voice sings a tale of not knowing, of uncertainty and the need for ‘truth’. The music itself is a dense tapestry of synths, an increasingly pulsing rhythmic drumbeat and lush string arrangements - it is just utterly transporting. $20 is a sombre, but gut wrenchingly honest love song which features Sparhawk’s ability to take a simple refrain and make it speak volumes. “My love is for free / my love,” has the potential to sound trite and clichéd, but when Low sing about love they manage to pull it off by sounding genuine and free of pretension.
Much like Witches, the track Magic/Majesty is a dark, violent place. This time it is the creation of the music rather than the lyrics; starting with minimalist, eerie chimes and slowly building to a chaotic peak of thunderous percussion and distortion. It almost clashes with the album closer Something’s Turning Over. On the surface this is an optimistic sounding acoustic number that closes out with a children’s choir and birdsong. However, it actually marries together the light and dark places that the listener is taken to throughout the course of C’mon, for although it sounds pleasant it reminds us of the fact that “just because you cannot hear them / does not mean they will not kill you in your sleep.” Sonically, this may be Low’s most accessible album to date, but that does not mean that there’s nothing hiding beneath the surface.
C’mon is an exceptional album in the tradition of American confessionalism; self-exploration rather than exhibition. It is a journey of discovery and Low invite you to join them with a smile even if they can’t guarantee you’ll sleep that night.
C’mon is released on 11th April via Sub Pop. Available for pre-order at www.subpop.com
LD
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