Just Backward of Square [Import]

Lowgold | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 19, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Import [Generic]
• ASIN: B000056UQS
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,025 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Golden Ratio

2. Beauty Dies Young

3. Mercury

4. Out of Reach

5. Back Here Again

6. Counterfeit

7. Never Alone

8. In Amber

9. Open the Airwaves

10. Less I Offer

11. Into the Void

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Few debut albums sound as lived-in as Lowgold's Just Backward of Square, which has a depth of thought, a wealth of experience and an aching that most acts take decades to find. As it is, the four--who sound like they are straight out of the Midwest but come from England's Poole, St. Albans, and South London--got it just so the first time around. By rights, their somber road-movie rock should be both demoralizing and depressing; certainly, there's very little to smile about in lyrics like "Make the most of today/ For beauty dies young" ("Beauty Dies Young") and "My lungs may be bleeding/ So I breathe in mercury/ Decay" ("Mercury"). But there's also a hint of hope and a glint of optimism in Darren Ford's voice as he sings these songs of introspection, and there's positive and reassuring power to the dragging guitars and plodding bass. That there is hope in the darkest tunes is where the maturity and magic of Just Backward of Square lies. It took Blur a decade to discover the secret of soul-searching, country-folk rock, and still they can't hold a candle to this. --Dan Gennoe

Product Description

Debut full length for UK indie act winning raves in NME andMelody Maker. Tracks include, 'In Amber' off their debut '108 EP' and their second single, 'Beauty Dies Young'. Featuring production by Tony Lash (Dandy Warhols and Quasi) their music is described as, 'sad songs that make you feel good'. Nude Records. 2000 release. Tri-fold paper sleeve.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gets Way Better With Every Listen!, March 10, 2001

By 

Ian Creamer (Dublin,Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just Backward of Square (Audio CD)

I got this c.d. on the basis of listening to the first few tracks on a listening post.The music immediately struck a positive chord with me and the more familiar I've got with the tracks I've discovered that this is a c.d. of rare depth and quality.

Okay so this c.d. has 11 tracks and comes in at just under 50 minutes.The music is fairly standard rock,drums,bass,guitar and occasional subtle use of synths or keyboard.The vocals are very good-they sound quite laidback and never rise to incredibly loud decibel levels.They are not averse to using harmonies especially for the chorus.The songs generally are of a slow to mid-paced tempo.Who could I compare them to?Well they don't sound very obviously like any one other group.They start off sounding like Mogwai-especially on the instrumental opener-but this is not a true flavour of the c.d.The next 2 songs-Beauty Dies Young and Mercury are excellent.They were the first two singles but they didn't set the charts on fire.I suppose you could say they sound a bit like Colplay without ever hitting the high singing notes.At times the guitars sound a little like early Oasis-not in a sixties way but more in the rawness of sound.

The next few tracks are fairly low-key,atmostpheric songs.The pace of these songs could best be described as glacial.But these are the songs that don't strike you as being excellent the first time-but they have a rare depth to them and really grow on you as much as the two singles.The 6th song Counterfeit-is a really welcome change in pace and mood.It's a loud fast-paced belter of a rock song.Once again the subtle backing vocals really enhance the song.As with all the songs the vocals never really dominate the whole song or sound.It's not that they are very feint or that the singer has a weak and wispy voice-it's just that they are placed on an equal footing with the rest of the music.I think this is a brave move,but I think it works because the listener can really appreciate all aspects of the music.

The closing segment of tracks starts off with the excellent song "Amber".Like all of these tracks they average about 5 minutes.This affords the group to build the songs from a quiet and understated start to a rousing finale.And this song just builds and builds and really comes to life with a quite catchy chorus.It's one of the many highlights on the c.d.The next song to me sounds a bit like Travis.It's also one of the shorter songs on the c.d.Once again the chorus uses harmonies and the guitar work is excellent.It is another potential single.The last two songs in my opinion are not as good as the songs which proceed them.

All in all I would recomend this c.d. to people who like groups like Coldplay and Travis.If you like those two groups then I'd say this c.d. is for you!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy it because you like Coldplay, buy b/c it's great, December 5, 2004

By 

Andrew L. Loveland "Music Critic" (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Just Backward of Square (Audio CD)

Just because you like Coldplay, Travis, Doves, and bands of their "ilk" does not mean you will like Lowgold's "Just Backward of Square." You will, however, grow to love this album if you give it the time it deserves. There are many similarities between Coldplay and Lowgold, but the main difference in my opinion is that, while both bands take you down to the lowest emotional depths, Coldplay does it to bring you back with hopeful, soaring choruses...Lowgold leaves you down, and I love it. These are some of the most emotionally gut-wrenching songs ever recorded, but it won't hit you until you've listened to it a couple times, and then it will hit you like a ton of bricks, probably driving by yourself in the car, feeling lonely, thinking about an old girlfriend (or boyfriend), and then you will be suddenly overcome with an overwhelming familiarity. Have I heard this song somewhere before? In a movie? In a television show? No, you haven't heard it before. It's just that Lowgold is so successful in connecting with the emotional lows of life that when you really LISTEN to it (not just listen to it, you know what I mean), the album gives off an eerily familiar aura. There is no comfort here, only dispair, and if you are not OK with that, then this album is not for you. There is a redundancy in many of the songs that will sound boring at first, and then (like most great albums) will grow into an addictive motif. The vocals sound like a man off the street, not a choir boy, and it's the perfect match to the down-to-earth music. Highly recommended overall...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this unheard, September 23, 2003

By 

Allan Cody-Rapport (Clermont, Fl United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Just Backward of Square (Audio CD)

I really enjoy Doves, Coldplay, and Blur, and so I bought this at a large music store in my area that has a lot of imports. Well, this album dulled me no end. Sure, all the songs have some merit, but they all just seem like something I've heard before, only not as good. Being an import, I spent around $27 on this, only because Amazon didn't have any sample tunes and neither did the music store - all I had were the reviews you see on this page. You may like this - I didn't. I'm not going to tell you not to waste your money on this; this may be the best thing you have ever heard. It's all about taste, after all. I'm just sorry I belived what I read here.