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Upcoming Release Calendar
74
Absentee Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Drums And Guns
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The slowcore trio (including new bassist Matt Livingston) reunites with producer Dave Fridmann.
| LABEL: | Sub Pop |
| RELEASE DATE: | 20 March 2007 |
| DISCS: | 1 disc |
| GENRE(S): | Indie, Rock |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this album is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Bob M. gave it a4:
A huge disappointment. The production sounds like the earliest stereophonic vinyl discs, where instruments and voices were placed at the extremities of the sound stage, leaving a sucked out centre stage. When listening to the tracks, through high quality headphones, music and lyrics take second place to the "arty-farty"electronica. My verdict: remix and Low will have a little masterpiece on their hands.
Kyle gave it an8:
No weaknesses in this album, pretty solid.
Rick H gave it an8:
After many many listens, on headphones and on a home stereo, I still don't get the point of putting all the vocals in the right channel. And I still don't get some of the things Fridman did on the new CYHSY album either, like basically destroying the first track to the point of being unlistenable. I've had the chance to see Low perform material from Drums and Guns four times now live and within that live context, these songs are some of my favorites. Murder, Sandinista. There is some very very strong material here. But on the album, there's so much bitterness and emptiness, that it's a painful experience. The production takes these songs, which are dark and frought with anxiety and makes them even more sinister by taking out all the warmth that comes across on most Low albums and is ever present during a live show. I'm an advocate of production being an art in itself, but Fridman really puzzles me at this point. He almost seems to sabotage beautiful songs out of spite. I love noise bands, I love experimentalism, I love the avant-garde, but sometimes a song should be given a chance.
Nick C gave it a9:
With "Drums & Guns" Low have once again defied expectations, redefined their entire sound, and created an astonishing and painfully understated album. The vitality of the album comes natrually from the duets of Parker and Sparhawk, their voices often times being the only consistent anchors for every song. The album consist largely of sparse keyboards, drum samples, and tape loops. Sparhawk's traditionally dominating and lush guitar playing is all but absent, barely strummed in the background of a few songs, and Parker's brushed percussion is replaced with samples. But change is something that Low fans have come to expect, and this album does not dissapoint on any level. Not as towering an achievement as The Great Destroyer, but an incredible step forward for a band that just refuses to stagnate. Sublte yet scathing, "Drums & Guns" is high on the list of contenders for most original and best album of the year.
mlee e gave it a10:
Some of the most amazing, haunting music I've ever heard. I absolutely love it and cannot stop listening to it.
Ruth V gave it a10:
Incredibly progressive. Spot-on commentary regarding wartime.
Richard H gave it a10:
Each Low album is a new experience. Very few of their albums sound 'the same', but each is undeniably "Low". This album continues their experiments in sound by going in a completely opposite direction from their last album. On "Great Destroyer" they went full on distortion and lush atmospherics. Here they've stripped their music to the very bone. The voices are honest, the production is sparse. With the introduction of more complex and more skittering drum patterns and the re-introduction of looped samples their sound has taken yet another turn. It's as though they've combined all their knowledge and experience to craft yet another signature sound. They've forgotten the distortion pedals of Destroyer and crafted another spacial realm for their sound to exist in. It's an enjoyable and rewarding listen.
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