Album Reviews

Low’s latest begins on a somber, fatalistic note with the dirge-like “Pretty People,” in which we’re reminded that along with the soldiers fighting today, and all the little babies, and all the lions and “..all the pretty people…,” we’re all gonna die.

The trio, consisting of the husband and wife team of Sparhawk and Mimi Parker and now Matt Livingston on bass in place of Zak Sally, continues its minimalist ways on this album, though the studio production has grown far more intriguing compared to their earlier albums thanks to producer Dave Fridmann. Fridmann, who produces for The Flaming Lips among many other groups, began as the bass guitarist in the sadly underrated Mercury Rev, a band that paid oblique tribute to the revered audiophile record label Mercury, and especially to recording engineer Robert Fine, by including on their record jackets the “recorded on 35MM magnetic film” logo found on the Command Records series of classical music albums also recorded by Mr. Fine.



Low has always been sound-centric, using Steve Albini on their Kranky double LP Secret Name (Krank 035) for instance. While Albini went for his typically spacious sound there, with lots of natural room reverb, here, Fridmann paints intimately on an unusual canvas dominated by left, center and right images, with little in between. He also pans all of the vocals on side one hard-right, which is an unusual choice, but it works well, giving more breathing room to the unusual electronic textures that bump up against the basic instrumentation carrying the tunes.

Mr. Fridmann’s minimalist production is sublimely sympathetic to the musical esthetics of Low and especially to the downcast, militaristic, but oddly reassuring tone of this album. Sparhawk and Parker’s high-pitched, lock-step harmonizing produces a car horn-like effect under which Livingston plants a firm bass foundation, upon which, I assume, Fridmann shovels his jagged-edged electronica.

However the recording and mix were accomplished technically, esthetically it’s an exquisite, minimalist production, with dramatically transparent and three dimensional imaging, deep, tightly drawn bass, and huge exploratory spaces between the deftly placed instrumentation and sound effects. A synth drum here, a harbor bell sound effect there, not a moment goes by where sonic complacency sets in. There’s always something interesting and/or surprising rising to the surface.

Creating a compelling physical and emotional picture out of so few parts requires the paring away of what’s unnecessary and leaving just the bare essentials. Low and Fridmann have come up with a hypnotic, intense, though short record that resonates with the curiously muted times in which we live. Thick with mood enhancers, implied and on the surface, Drums and Guns will suck you in and command your full attention musically and sonically, first play and every play. When it’s over, you’ll feel you’ve been somewhere. That’s a major accomplishment these days.

Take a chance on this latest from the Duluth, Minnesota based Low. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed (Comes with MP3 code for free internet download).