Low ~ Things We Lost in the Fire

Kranky Records

Melancholia can be strangely soothing. While it’s evident in everything from dour medieval chants to feathery Nick Drake musings, rarely is it expressed with such beatific calm as in the textured moodscapes of Low. Here, strands of melancholia create a surprisingly strong web from delicate melodies and sparse instrumentation, sparkling with poignant lyrics and radiant harmonies.

Things We Lost finds tension and experimentation infiltrating the formula perfected by these masters of dark tranquility – with brilliant results. While they’ve worked with producer Steve Albini before, some subtly different energy is now at play. The album’s opener, "Sunflower," layers harmonies in a confident, pop-grounded sensibility while maintaining the edge of mournfulness that gives Low’s simplicity its emotional sharpness. Plaintive desperation rings through on the blissfully wistful "Like a Forest" and when Mimi Parker takes the mic on songs like "Embrace," a heartwrenching jaw-dropper. Distortion and pounding drums enliven "Dinosaur Act" and "Whore," underscoring the album’s secret: beneath the sad prettiness broils a sharp frustration. –Tiffany Lee Brown

 

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