Low: New album, C'mon...

TwoCanDan

This is streaming (not sure for how long) on the Guardian's website...have listened to it once and like it so far...I am biased though because I love these guys...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/apr/01/low-cmon-album-stream

pappyodaniel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oHrvlZxStQ

seachto7

what do you think of the album? worth a punt? I only have "when the curtain hits the cast" and "drums and guns", so not sure what other albums to get...

TwoCanDan

seachto7 wrote: »

what do you think of the album? worth a punt? I only have "when the curtain hits the cast" and "drums and guns", so not sure what other albums to get...

The new one is good, but I haven't listened to it enough to give you an unequivocal recommendation. You should definitely check out Things We Lost In The Fire and The Great Destroyer though...both brilliant...

@Pappyodaniel...definitely a stand-out...

AhrSkidar

Definitely agree with Things We Lost... and The Great Destroyer. Trust and Secret Name are rather excellent also - Two Step on Secret Name is my fave Low track. I guess you could say they've a fairly substantial body of work.

Probably not something to think about after a hot day in April, but their Christmas album is an essential listen at the appropriate time.

Bog

Pick up a copy of Secret Name. It features one of my favourite song by any band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYhIcT1nFsw

hyperbaby

I love this album and this is first time I have ever checked out anything by these guys.
What should I listen to next? A friend of mine recommended the Christmas album but it's the Month of May so maybe not a good idea.

seachto7

I like "drums and guns"....

Toby Take a Bow

In addition to the albums mentioned by everyone else, I love Trust too. Maybe it's not such a popular choice though?

Drums and Guns is great, but it's slightly disorientating to listen to on headphones.

dots03

I saw Low at Primavera a couple of weeks ago and they were absolutely amazing...they mostly played tunes from C'mon, opening up with Nothing but Heart and it was actually a fairly rocking affair (for a Low gig).

Since then C'mon has been on heavy rotation, and I have to say it's fast becoming my favourite album of theirs. It's a total winner.

sarkozy

Yah, been listening to C'mon for a while now. Some nice tunes, I heard a good deal of them a few years ago when they played Cannis' Cathederal in Kilkenny. Primavera a few years back, around the time of The Great Destroyer, was really disappointing and I didn't dig that album so much. Other time I saw them, in Andrew's Lane, the Destroyer stuff worked because the sound was so good and they played stuff of Things We Lost in the Fire, Secret Name and Trust. Plus, no one really knew if Low would tour again after Zack had published that letter about his depression.

I'm listening to C'Mon a lot more now, but somehow, when I'm in the 'Low mood', I'm finding I'm reaching for Cass McCombs. When I listen to C'mon, I just can't help feeling like Low have lost their mojo.

Toby Take a Bow

sarkozy wrote: »

when I'm in the 'Low mood', I'm finding I'm reaching for Cass McCombs.

What's 'the Low mood'? I have A by McCombs and it doesn't remind me of Low at all. Is his other stuff much different?

sarkozy

Toby Take a Bow wrote: »

What's 'the Low mood'? I have A by McCombs and it doesn't remind me of Low at all. Is his other stuff much different?

Good tunes, affecting lyrics, great playing, emotional but subdued. I reckon Cass is a little bit 'slowcore'. Stylistically different, obviously. PREfection isn't like that, though.

Toby Take a Bow

Ah, okay, I don't find 'A' that emotionally subdued, but I see where you're coming from.

seachto7

can someone recommend me a cass mccombs album?

TwoCanDan

I saw them at Primavera too and was a bit disappointed...the sound quality was rubbish, really tinny...I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was probably because I was standing pretty far back...because I love them...

I thought they were excellent at that St.Canice's Cathedral concert a few years ago...setting was perfect IMO...Adrian Crowley played a good support show too...

They have at least three albums I prefer to C'mon, but it's still a solid effort...

TwoCanDan

seachto7 wrote: »

can someone recommend me a cass mccombs album?

'Dropping the Writ' is the one for me every time...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7JdeL3kxT8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88nUmgl4PTk

I haven't given his new one a fair crack of the whip yet...to say it's downbeat is an understatement though...
Catacombs and PREfection are also very good as others have mentioned...I don't have A...

Toby Take a Bow

seachto7 wrote: »

can someone recommend me a cass mccombs album?

Well, as above, I only have 'A', which is very good. A friend who's a huge fan suggested I start with that and go from there.

sarkozy

TwoCanDan wrote: »

I saw them at Primavera too and was a bit disappointed...the sound quality was rubbish, really tinny...I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was probably because I was standing pretty far back...because I love them...

I thought they were excellent at that St.Canice's Cathedral concert a few years ago...setting was perfect IMO...Adrian Crowley played a good support show too...

They have at least three albums I prefer to C'mon, but it's still a solid effort...

That gig in Canice's was beautiful. Not so much into Crowley, but Mick Turner I thought was pretty nice, too. I'm a massive Dirty Three fan and he's one of my 'unsung hero' guitar idols. He had an exhibition of his paintings there that weekend. I met him and to say he was shy and both of us were awkward as I asked him to sign his record, was an understatement!

TwoCanDan

sarkozy wrote: »

That gig in Canice's was beautiful. Not so much into Crowley, but Mick Turner I thought was pretty nice, too. I'm a massive Dirty Three fan and he's one of my 'unsung hero' guitar idols. He had an exhibition of his paintings there that weekend. I met him and to say he was shy and both of us were awkward as I asked him to sign his record, was an understatement!

I couldn't remember Frank's name there...I enjoyed him too...
I could have murdered the people in the pew in front of me though...they talked the whole way through his set, and when he was finished they really loudly and obnoxiously tore him apart..."like half an hour of someone tuning their guitar"...
He came across as a shy sort alright...

JerryHandbag

Great album, if I had to pick a best track it would be 2nd last one, Nothing But Heart.

dots03

TwoCanDan wrote: »

I saw them at Primavera too and was a bit disappointed...the sound quality was rubbish, really tinny...I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was probably because I was standing pretty far back...because I love them...

we were at the front, maybe 4-5 meters from the stage and the sound was pretty flawlwess. It was interesting to see Steve Albini lurking in the background watching their set (Shellac were on after Low).

I was looking for any signs that he might actually like Low's music (a couple of head nods maybe) but being the iceman that he is, he gave away nothing.

I really like the idea of Albini sitting in a bubble bath, surrounded by candles and a nice glass of Chardonnay listening to Laser Beam, but alas reality and fantasy don't often converge to such an extent.

minnow

For me it's an average Low album as they go, but has a few stand-out tracks like You See Everything and Especially Me. There are a few songs in there that sound more like the local folk group singing in mass than the band that gave us Drums & Guns....overall slightly disappointing.

As for Steve Albini, he should know them pretty well, he produced Things We Lost in the Fire.

Toby Take a Bow

He probably knows them fairly well, but producing them (or recording them, or whatever term he uses for the process) doesn't mean he has any love of the music. Most famous example being when he called the Pixies an overrated mediocre college rock band (or something along those lines). As far as I know, he later recanted and apologised for making the remark (but not necessarily for the content of the remark).

take everything

"Especially me" sounds great.
Need to find out more about this band.