Customer Reviews

Long Division

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Low is a Duluth, Minnesota based trio, formed to combat the abrasiveness and boredom of the grunge movement. LONG DIVISION is the second release, and arguably the best. Describing its music is like trying to explain a David Lynch film; words fail to relay the meaning and scope of the music.

Low specialize in that style of music most often referred to as 'lo-fi', 'sad-core', and 'slo-core'. They use minimal instrumentation-a cymbal and snare drum, bass guitar, and electric guitar with a 'clean' tone. The tempos are slow. Some of the material reminds me of something that would fit nicely on Angelo Badalamenti's TWIN PEAKS or BLUE VELVET soundtracks, or perhaps some wierd mix of MASSIVE ATTACK and PORTISHEAD sans the samples and electronics-very slow, very emotional, very evokative, very simple.

LONG DIVISION is quite an album. From the opening sparse notes played on the guitar in "Violence" (using reverb to great effect I might add) the listener is beckoned to come in, to close everything else out and be immersed in the waves of slow melancholy and vocal harmony. The beautiful female vocals of "Below & Above" and the wonderful harmonies and minor chord changes of "Throw Out The Line" cement themselves in the brain. How can such 'simplistic' music have us coming back time and again? Well, sometimes simple is better I guess. "Caroline", "Alone", and "Stay" are marvelous songs as well. Listen to how the group uses quiet (near silence) on this album-it's amazing. You will even hear sparse conversation and a cough here or there from a band member.

While LONG DIVISION might not be something you'll play day in and day out, any musician can appreciate the beauty of simplicity, and I have it in my CD player for weeks at a time. A very enlightening and organic experience.

Highly recommended.

have you ever seen those street performers who look like they're just standing there, but by the end of the day they've moded into a different position. it was just like they were doing it at such slow increments that you couldn't detect movement?

low is the musical equivilant of that. maybe it has something to do with the soft production. at first listen you hear a wall of noise. kind of a soft tone that goes for a few minutes. but on further listens you notice more and more things about the songs until they become catchy. i've had this album for a few weeks now, and i find something new every day. it's amazing.

I bought this CD a long time ago on the basis of word of mouth, and now Low are my favorite group. Listen to them whenever you wish, at first, to let your ears get used to their style and sound. Then, at about the tenth listen, sit in a quiet room, close your eyes, and breathe slowly and deeply. Low defies gravity by picking up the listener and suspending him/her in a limbo-land of ecstasy where time has no meaning. If you listen closely, you will hear your own heart beating - Low is exactly what it's been waiting for. Simply transcendent music, skillfully performed!

If one word could be chosen to sum up Low's style, what would it be? Atmospheric comes up pretty often. Relaxing, haunting, and all the stuff that goes with that. While that sort of thing is boring with most bands, Low takes it to extreme lengths and always gives us a fresh interpretation of naptime music. Unfortunately for me, I'm in the precarious position of hearing this album for the first time after being exposed to Low's "The Curtain Hits The Cast" and "Songs For A Dead Pilot", which are both brilliant releases. When compared to these two albums, "Long Division" might appear a little green. That's because it is. Comparing Low albums is difficult because they are a band that is always exploring new territory and therefore always progressing (which is much more than most pop musicians do). Like Low's other releases, the production has a profound effect on the overall sound of the album and Kramer's work does them justice. The first three songs are soothing and extremely listenable and "See Through", "Take", and the percussive sound of "Turn" serve as really early indications of the sound they pursue and develop on several tracks from "Songs For A Dead Pilot". "Streetlight" is an interesting piece that sounds like a really slow college radio staple. "Long Division" is an essential album by a powerful creative force.

Low is a beautiful band, there is no doubt about that. But as the review title suggests, they're not quite what you'd expect out of the word. You won't find any gorgeous string sections or soaring choirs (a la the Edward Scissorhands OST) on a Low album. Instead, this Minnesota trio has re-discovered the lost art of subtletly. They play 30 beat-per-second pieces with insturmentation skimpy enough to leave more silence than actual noise. It gets to the point where a slight chord change gives you the same feeling of a 10 minute, shape-shifting prog-rock song. They're one of the most minimalist bands I've ever heard.

Low takes these barely-there soundscapes, and plugs their own depressing, moody lyrics and amazing vocal harmonies on top of them, creating an aura of a lost, dreary existence. Imagine walking through a snow-filled forest on a February morning, or through a dry Midwestern town on an overcast afternoon, and you'll get a good idea of what it all sounds like.

The end result is a melancholy gem that, although requiring several listens to fully appreciate, is just as beautiful as alot of maximalist work. There are a couple spots where they get a little TOO mood music-y ("Alone"), but they've constantly worked and improved on this formula over the years.

a great album. awesome production, very full and rich- especially considering the minimal amount of instruments and information. making less say more is an understatement. great vocals and back-up vocal melodies.

This was the first Low album I bought. Upon first listen, I loved all of two songs. Next listen revealed the truth about the rest of the album. It's a cruel joke that's backfired on it's creators and instead of annoying anyone with their droning SLOW SLOW SLOW repetitios music, they've created the coolest following known to man. Every track is beautiful, the melodies are rich with emphasis in the right places, and the overall album pulls on your heartstrings one at a time at a very lethargic pace. "Violence" and "Caroline" are the tracks to end all tracks.

Low - Long Division (Vernon Yard)
Available in the States since 1995, "Long Division" finally gets a UK release. And very welcome it is, too.

Hailing from Duluth, Minnesota, where the winters are bleak and unforgiving, Low make music to warm the soul. These slow, beautiful songs draw you into Low's grey winter world, where they permeate through like ghostly spirits from the past. Glorious understated melody oozes from every track on this haunting record, leaving the listener relaxed and rejuvenated. You simply feel better for listening to it.

3 1/2

Marred by a relatively lackluster second side, the slow-mo glow of Low's flow on this sophomore entry initially streaks a bruising brightness, assuredly compounding stilled pacing, restrained playing, and of course, haunted harmonics.

....there is a very nice, etheral quality to this album. I really liked the sparse, basic sound of the quitars and drums. The only flaw, and something that prevented this already good album from being rated higher is that all the songs are slow. You have to be in the right mood to listen to this all the way through, but if you are in the right mood you will discover a real gem.