Oh My God Charlie Darwin

The Low Anthem | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 9, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B0026IZR34
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,049 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The Low Anthem are a Rhode Island based trio. Remastered by Gateway's Bob Ludwig, the album is critically acclaimed with Rolling Stone saying the music on Charlie Darwin feels "homemade" and "solemnly beautiful," and NPR Music called the song "To Ohio" a "tender stunner" when choosing it as a Song of the Day, saying, "At times languid and haunting, but with detours into Tom Waits-esque stomping and hollering, The Low Anthem's music seems equally informed by Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, The Band and a late-night ride home in Joni Mitchell's car". The Low Anthem comprises Jocie Adams, Ben Knox Miller, and Jeff Prystowsky. The three met while studying at Brown University in Providence, RI, and have been playing together for nearly two years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Haven from the World and Her Decay. . ., June 17, 2009

By 

Leif Sheppard (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Oh My God Charlie Darwin (Audio CD)

I first bought "Oh My God, Charlie Darwin" directly from the band's website last year. The disc arrived in an artfully hand-stamped, hand-numbered cardboard sleeve. Within that lay a black labeled disc that contained some of the most sublime music of 2008. This wasn't my first introduction to the band, as What The Crow Brings was among my favorite records of 2007. Opening with the darkly hopeful "The Ballad of the Broken Bones" instantly suggested to me that The Low Anthem had a bit of insight into the human soul. Listening to the following tracks "Yellowed by the Sun" and "As the Flame Burns Down" only served to confirm my initial thoughts.

So when I heard of the imminent release of "Oh My God, Charlie Darwin" in August of 2008, I immediately made plans to purchase the record. I admit, I didn't think the band would be able to follow up their previous work, much less surpass it. It's a testament to the artists involved that they not only produced a worthy third album, but created their most layered work to date. First track "Charlie Darwin", which Paste Magazine readers may recall appeared on one of their monthly discs, is absolutely fantastic. Genius. Brilliant. I give up! I can't think of enough superlatives for even the one track.

Speaking of Paste Magazine, their July '09 issue rated this album a 90 out of 100 along with review that favorably highlights the lyric "The lords of war just profit from decay". Curiously, Rolling Stone quoted that same lyric and claimed the album "suffered" because of it. They ultimately gave three out of five stars along with a review that totals all of three sentences. Allmusic, for their part, awarded the album four out of five stars while the English magazine Uncut awarded the same.

Lyrics like "Set the sails I feel the winds a'stirring, toward the bright horizon set the way, cast your wreckless dreams upon our Mayflower, haven from the world and her decay" stick with you long after the track has ended. Then you're immediately faced with second track "Ohio", which isn't as lyric intensive but is every bit as heart wrenchingly beautiful. Suddenly, "The Horizon is a Beltway" blares through your speakers. It's a cacophonous affair, all gravely vocals and foot stomping rhythm, and a marked change from the previous tracks. But it works, and it works quite well.

The Low Anthem stumble a bit with "Home I'll Never Be", as it ratchets up the tempo once more but comes off as a late night drunken jam session. It's not a bad song, but rather a weak one. I've never seen The Low Anthem on stage, so I'm willing to bet serious money this track would translate much better in a live setting. This is a track that demands immediacy, something which simply doesn't come about in a pre-recorded album. "Ticket Taker", a simple acoustic song, comes across much more pleasantly with lyrics like "They say before he bit it, the boxer felt no pain, but somewhere there's a gamblin' man, with a ticket in the rain."

Even the record-ending reprises are gorgeous, particularly "OMGCD", which is a more lively, upbeat take on the first track. It was a welcome surprise to see this album getting a higher profile re-release this year on Nonesuch records, especially since this record wasn't even available by conventional means upon its initial release. I offer the most sincere recommendation to check this music out, which their website accurately describes as "gorgeous chamber folk".

For fans of acts like:
Pinetop Seven The Night's Bloom
Dolorean You Can't Win
Sun Kil Moon April
Magnolia Electric Co. Josephine
Josh Ritter The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stomping, Haunting, July 13, 2009

By 

Hoover Pendleton (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oh My God Charlie Darwin (Audio CD)

This album is both haunting and foot stomping at different times - a pretty phenomenal accomplishment. (And I can't believe RS actually published the review they did - not because their critic gave it a mediocre review, but because his three sentence (3 sentence!) review was obviously tossed off without nary a listen. It's like the author just wanted to collect his fee without actually giving the band or the album its due.) I highly recommend this album, but also hope that you will be able to listen without prejudice.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic album from a promising band, June 15, 2009

By 

Jameson Akers "Cultural Aficionado" (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oh My God Charlie Darwin (Audio CD)

From the brilliant falsetto on the dream-like "Charlie Darwin" to the dustbowl imagery of "Ohio" to the raucous "The Horizon is a Beltway", Providence's The Low Anthem have created a phenomenal album from front to back, using their instruments to paint a different picture on each and every song.