Customer Reviews

Trust

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After reviewing dozens of "Best of 2002" lists, it is tragic that this CD isn't on a single one of them. Maybe it is because Low is so prolific, having released the much-heralded and great `Things We Lost In The Fire' only a year earlier. I guess too much of a good thing is bad (e.g., 6 full-length albums, multiple EPs, singles, covers, and collaborations in only 8 years). Stereolab (RIP) may have suffered a similar fate. And I now I finally have all of the Low albums, and have been lucky enough to see them a dozen times, including a disastrous SXSW show at Maggie Mae's in '96. Their show supporting `Trust' was the least attended but the best Low show I've seen. Why all the hype about Sigur Ros?

'Trust' is a breath-taking achievement and their best album, in my opinion. The 13 songs are well written, well produced, and the tracks have amazing diversity in dynamics and emotion that is a testament to the uniqueness of the band. How many other 3-piece bands can do what they do? Dynamics (and originality) are lost on pop music these days, and Low, even stripped down at slowcore speed and volume, has more dynamic range than any emo or indie band. The growth in Low's songwriting talent is evident on catchy pop tracks like the beautiful and shimmering "Tonight" and the anthemic Neil Young-ish "In the Drugs". The range of emotions is evident on the shifts in theme - from despair "Candy Girl", sacrifice "The Lamb", sentimental youth "Last Snowstorm of the Year", to the haunting and angry "John Prine". Even when they turn up the volume and rock out (e.g., "Canada"), they still have that undeniably Low quality of reverb, space and depth.

Low is still a great band.

Since their second album, "Long Division," Low have been evolving in a very particular direction: from spartan repetition and grim, desperate vocals to more expressive timbres and an entire range of melancholies (and yes, some pop songs). There are very few bands who have allowed their expressive vocabulary and aural palette to evolve to this degree in such a short period of time without suddenly resorting to self-indulgent experimentation (and thereafter proclaiming a comeback to a "classic" sound every other album).

This time out, Low has gone even further. Having absorbed all this, Sparhawk and company have created Low's darkest album ever.

Yes, there's "Canada" in which Low turns up the distortion for the second time ever and plays in a major key. And then there's "Last Snowstorm of the Year" in which the distortion pedal comes out a third time, even if it's to sing about having been depressed alot some time ago.

But the rest of the album takes all of those textures and shades Low have acquired and uses them to construct beautiful, haunting songs. This instrumentation is lush, even though they use no strings on this album, but every note still feels calculated. The production is so extraordinary, if you turn the volume up, you can hear things being dropped and intentionally placed low, static hums. The sonic fabric is literally distressed... the thumping on "La La Song" sounds like kneelers in an empty cathedral being thumped aginst the stone floor. Above all this, Alan and Mimi sing some of their most beautiful harmonies ever.

Low have created a piece of art that is uniquely their own, and it's a masterpiece.

Evolution in nature is a gradual process, unhurried and deliberate; musical evolution should be no exception. With "Trust", Low demonstrate that they are are unafraid to evolve naturally, incorporating new elements into their music with each album without sacrificing any of the essential qualities of their "signature sound": sparsely beautiful melodies, blended male/female vocals, and a subtle sense of of gradually building power and anticipation. "Trust" retains these qualities while allowing a fuller, denser, more epic feeling to enter into Low's sometimes minimalist music. The opening track "(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace", is incredible: at once lovely and eerie, the echoing guitar and transcendent vocals give it a David Lynch movie soundtrack kind of feeling. Low purists might raise their eyebrows at the second track, "Canada", which is a straight-up rock song built around a driving, distorted bass riff, but again it's a rock song interpreted through Low's distinct musical perspective and doesn't feel out of place here. Another standout track, "I Am the Lamb", resembles a haunted revival meeting with its ghostly background chorus and captivating, chantlike melody. As much as I dislike generalizing music with labels, there are also some distinctly "shoegaze" moments on "Trust", particularly the beautiful "Tonight", which pairs a delicate Mimi vocal with a Slowdive-esque guitar shimmer, and the epic, wall-of-sound closing track "Shots & Ladders". Other excellent tracks like the "The Last Snowstorm of the Year", "Point of Disgust" and the exquisite "Candy Girl" recall the best moments of Low's earlier albums (particularly "Things We Lost in the Fire") but also break new ground, seamlessly becoming part of the distinctive sound of "Trust". Ultimately, though, what is most captivating about this album is also what is most intangible: Low's music creates emotional states in the listener that are difficult to describe until you have experienced them. Like the titular emotion, this album will leave you feeling both comforted and vulnerable, and will slowly build a bridge between your mind and your heart. For those unafraid to trust, I highly recommend it.

after carefully reviewing the past 5 or so Low album, going back from Secret Name to The Great Destroyer, i have decided this is probably thier best work. Though it has the same basic Low formula, and i will refrain from calling it slowcore, it is markedly different. The production may be the key factor here, i cant think of any other Low albums that have the production like this one, but all of the songs are good. You wont find any new and inventive harmonies or melodies if you are familiar with thier other albums, but they are still very good. The songs are well written and the flow of the album is fantastic, and their are no filler tracks (i feel some of the great destroyer has filler). Now i guess i should say i liked all of thier past 5 albums, but i think this is the most consistent and my personal favorite. Things we lost in the fire, secret name, and great destroyer are all worth having, but to me, this is their gem.

What can one say about an album so beautifully crafted and amazingly produced as this? In many ways harkening back to their debut, 'I Could Live In Hope', but just as fervently charting new sonic territory, 'Trust' captures a truth and beauty about America not heard for decades. The opening track, '(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace', will leave you floored with its stark depth and resounding percussion. And 'I Am The Lamb' truly hits deeply; the repeated cadence, "I am the lamb, I am a dead man" will send shivers down many a spine. Another stand-out, 'John Prine' (long awaited by Low fans), is like drowning in a river and somehow being ressurected by the song of an angel. If you know Low, you will not be disappointed; if you don't know them, swiftly change that by buying this album.

3 1/2


Completely worthy for fans and initiates alike, though I disagree with notions that Trust is one of their best works. If anything, this feels like a powerful transition disc from earnest acoustic to electronic expansion with a committed, if creatively stifled release. Expect slow-burning beauties all the same, they are there, but know that this release is chock full of sonic indulgences over flimsier songwriting that does not necessarily compliment Low's taut delicacy.

playing music slowly, deliberatly, almost painfully is an art form too few musicians use. face it, playing guitar fast and slopily while screaming stupid lyrics is getting a little old.

the new symphonies are not those played with traditional strings and horns. the new symphonies are written by bands like Low. other new symphony composers include Yo La Tengo (masters of making guitar feedback beautiful) and Sigur Ros, of course. i think Coldplay is trying really hard to follow in these bands' footsteps as well. (sorry lads, not quite there)

Low consistently get excellent reviews, yet the band's mystique and remote locale (northern Minnesota) make them even more anti-scensters than YLT.

if you want to hear beautiful rock and roll filled with clear, crisp singing and playing--buy this or any Low album. then by a YLT or Sigur Ros album and enjoy rock and roll history as it's happening.

No...I'm not a long time Low fan. I had heard of them in 1994 but never heard anything from them until roughtly 3 years ago. The music, itself, is poetic and absorbing. The writing is superb. My only complaint with Trust (the only album of Low's that I've listened to) is the quality of the recording (unless I received a dud of a CD). The recording is recorded too low; when I turn it up (and I have to in order to hear the thing), there's an increase in noise level. So... to wrap up...superb music but disappointing recording/CD quality.

Although not as good as their masterpiece 'Things We Lost In The Fire'. This remains a very solid effort, perhaps their third best album. The first 4 songs are particularly strong, however, a couple of lesser tracks towatd the end, give the album 4 stars.

today is 04.12.11, and i just downloaded low's mp3 for their new "c'mon" release. this is typical for me: i have dilgently followed this band since the week "secret name" was released, and i haven't stopped. after their first three cds, they have evolved on a continual basis - for better or for worse, but always forward in a way that few bands are capable of. because of this perpetual yet sensible change, its only natural that longtime followers will remember a certain period or release of lows career in a highest regard.

for me, its "trust". very dark, very mysterious, and oh so very beautiful. of all their music (yes, i own everything) it is "trust" that i return to most often.

this is not a slight for what came after or what was there before in their ongoing catalog, not at all. but my heart truly is enmeshed and engorged with this record. timeless. essential. human. art.


(ps: i've seen low live five times, and hands down the best show was on this tour. zak sally you are missed.)