Drums and Guns

Low

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 20, 2007)
• Original Release Date: March 20, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sub Pop
• ASIN: B000MV8CSO
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,354 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
For The Great Destroyer, their 2005 Sub Pop debut (and 7th album overall), Low quickened their paces and rustled up a new sound. Producer Dave Fridmann helped out in '05 and is back for Drums and Guns, Low's 2007 follow up, a return to pre- Great Destroyer form. Slowing down again and training the musical lamps on Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk's austere voices, the trio sets a decidedly somber tone (the album's opening line, delivered with pregnant pauses: "All soldiers, they're all gonna die/And all the little babies, they're all gonna die" and album-closing song titles: "Murderer" and "Violent Past"). Parker and Sparhawk's voices enchant eerily, a whiff of electonica here and a haunted handclap there melding with Matt Livingston's bass to give the music some dark, gorgeous machine undertones--stark, martial, and noise-brushed at once. Fridmann finds all kinds of places to add tone, color and sound, keeping the tempos slow and the mood hypnotic. This is the art that wartime breeds. --Andrew Bartlett

Product Description
Formed in 1993, Low is from Duluth, Minnesota, and features Alan Sparhawk on vocals and guitar, Mimi Parker on vocals and drums, and Matt Livingston on bass and vocals. Sparhawk and Parker are married with two children; they first met in fourth grade in rural Minnesota. Drums and Guns is the band's eighth full-length album and second for Sub Pop. It's also, after 2005's The Great Destroyer, the second album they've recorded with producer Dave Fridmann. Drums and Guns features a number of songs that ardent Low fans will recognize from the band's recent live shows. These songs appear here in substantially altered forms, as though they've been taken apart and reassembled in striking new ways, or seen with new eyes. Or, given the lyrical emphasis on murder and death, a more insightful interpretation might see the band killing these songs and bringing them back to life anew. There's no contrivance here, however. While these songs feature new elements (looped vocals, drum machines, etc.) and are thoroughly, radiantly contemporary, they remain undeniably Low's. Drums and Guns possesses the unique, subtle beauty and power we've come to expect from Low, but the record is also profoundly exciting in ways that it's easy to forget music can be.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best album of 2007, March 16, 2007

By	MRSCRY (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Okay, I was a huge fan of Low turning up the tempo and rockin' out a bit on their last album, "The Great Destroyer", but these guys (and gal) have done so much better on their latest effort, which slows things down again. Ironically, this album needs to be turned on high volume more than the last one, because its haunting, modest background effects create a mood that won't be topped by any band this year. Alan Sparhawk's vocals, which are in top form, are complemented beautifully by a wide range of electronic "noises" (quiet ones, at that) ranging from eerie electric guitar to organ chords to electronic clapping. And, unlike most albums that come out these days, the record has a continuous feel to it... when done listening, it's harder to point a finger at a single track than it is the whole listening experience. However, if one is to highlight a song that stands out, it might very well be the final track, "Violent Past", which isn't a climax to "Drums and Guns" as much as it is a powerful arousing that leaves me wanting to go back and examine the past 45 minutes.

And for those "Great Destroyer" fans who are wanting some sort of rock song on this record, the only satisfaction you'll get in this department is a quiet, goregous guitar riff on "Hatchet", a song that uses the inter-band relationships of the Beatles and Rolling Stones as a metaphor for a personal relationship.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Low and Real Slow, July 31, 2007

By	J. Cox "inertiatic ESP" (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you haven't heard Low's music... well they play real low and real slow. And that's not a bad thing. If you have heard 2006's "The Great Destroyer" ---then you will probably be suprised when listening to 2007's "Drums and Guns." It's mellow (like most of Low's music) but still has the ambition to experiment with different sounds.

On this album, the little trio from Duluth, Minnesota returns to form. This is easily Low's best album (that's saying alot considering it's their 8th studio album). The harmony of the multiple vocals is haunting with a constant background of minimalist beats. This is a folk band, with a lot more punch. Low knows how to play their kind of music. They don't pretend. This could be easily one of the best records in 2007. And certainly it is the band's most complete release.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best of 2007, May 12, 2007

By	A. Laye (Maryland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I think the spotlight review is a little unfair. Not that all artists need to be mindlessly praised, but I believe that Low has really acheived something here. I believe the album about more than war. That said, I think this is an amazing redeemer from some of the mediocrity on the Great Destroyer (of course there were a few amazing tracks on GD). However, this album is very cohesive and coherent thematically, lyircally, instrumentally, and production wise. They did not abandon their previous-self completely but there is certainly a degree of transformation here. The first couple listens didn't sit well with me, I wasn't sure what to make of this album but I didn't dislike it. Low fans have to leave some preconceptions at the door for this record or they might be hindered to accept something beautiful and progressive for this band. Even the production is slightly experimental and can catch you off gaurd, but Fridmann really steps it up on this record doing some of these songs great justice. Alan Sparhawk still retains his lyrical genious on this record, particularly on this last few tracks for my taste, but the sonic pallete is a bit different for this record. The last few tracks definately captures their ability to create epic, anthemic songs as they always do on each record. Generally, this record is a return to minimalist Low form, but without all the reverb. While I still love SN, Trust, TWLITF, it's almost hard to look back now because this band is still capable of evolving and producing something beautiful. After the Great Destroyer, I thought their glory days were probably behind but they have proven me wrong. I think they still have a bright future.