Ones and Sixes
by Low
  • Record Label: Sub Pop
  • Release Date: Sep 11, 2015
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
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  1. musicOMH.com
    Sep 8, 2015
    90
    It is arguable that Ones And Sixes is their most fully integrated album to date--a richly satisfying and coherent work drawing together many of the different strands of their career so far.
  2. Clash Music
    Sep 8, 2015
    90
    The band's strengths are here in abundance, but they are reimagined, twisted into new shapes and given a visceral intensity that is utterly irresistible.
  3. Paste Magazine
    Sep 15, 2015
    81
    Low’s always been good at making records where it sounds like every note and beat contains some degree of pain and hope you’ve felt. So hopefully it’s compelling when this one stands out even more as one of their best.
  5. Dusted Magazine
    Sep 21, 2015
    80
    With Ones and Sixes they’ve pulled together many of their disparate sides in a masterful survey of what makes them one of the great rock bands of their era.
  6. NOW Magazine
    Sep 16, 2015
    80
    Despite its relatively minimal instrumentation, virtually every song here crackles and hums with distorted, altered familiarity.
  7. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Sep 15, 2015
    80
    There’s so much sweet in the bitter here that one might be inclined to think that this is music anyone could get into. But these are songs for Low fans.
  8. The Observer (UK)
    Sep 14, 2015
    80
    Ones and Sixes is an ear-pricking listen, particularly on headphones.
  9. Record Collector
    Sep 11, 2015
    80
    Ones And Sixes sees Low churning out some of their most accessible work, with What Part Of Me having the potential to be an unlikely hit. As ever, strong stuff in every way.
  10. Spin
    Sep 11, 2015
    80
    Sparhawk tentatively hits highs in Wayne Coyne territory, imbuing the canyon-filling swirls of background synths and simple, sad, jangly riff with echoes of The Soft Bulletin. “Spanish Translation,” on the other hand, is Low-core and lovely.
  11. Boston Globe
    Sep 10, 2015
    80
    The album is assured and seductive, to the point that the despair underpinning so many of the songs isn’t immediately obvious.
  12. The Guardian
    Sep 10, 2015
    80
    Striking a balance between their majestic, slow-moving melancholy and harsher experimental noise.
  13. Drowned In Sound
    Sep 10, 2015
    80
    It’s another subtly heart-rending effort from a band that remains one of the very finest in the world. If you needed a reminder of why Low are an institution then this is it.
  14. Uncut
    Aug 26, 2015
    80
    After two decades, a band that could easily feel like part of the wallpaper remain hungry to show that you never know what lies beneath. [Oct 2015, p.68]
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  15. Mojo
    Aug 26, 2015
    80
    Low have made one of the most impressive albums of their career and it still feels like their best work is ahead of them rather than stuck back in the past. [Oct 2015, p.92]
  16. Q Magazine
    Aug 26, 2015
    80
    The 11th studio [release] has a brooding familiarity yet is also coolly exhilarating. [Oct 2015, p.111]
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  17. Pitchfork
    Sep 14, 2015
    78
    Ones and Sixes is all at once beautiful, ugly, tense, warm, inviting and repellent.
  18. The Line of Best Fit
    Sep 9, 2015
    75
    Its slight downfall is a lack of lyrical dexterity, recycling phrases as a crutch, perhaps. The overriding feeling, however, is that this record indicates no end to the creativity of a commercially undervalued act whose longevity was never prophesised.
  19. Chicago Tribune
    Sep 8, 2015
    75
    Returning to some of the stylistic inroads made on its 2007 album Drums and Guns, Low builds a framework out of electronic static and subterranean feedback.
  20. Under The Radar
    Aug 26, 2015
    75
    Another nice collection of tunes that lacks the urgency of their essential work but still comes with plenty to recommend. [Aug-Sep 2015, p.64]
  21. Rolling Stone
    Sep 11, 2015
    70
    Low have been indie rock's most economical songwriters for 20 years and running, but their 11th LP takes a bold step toward pop.
  22. The Quietus
    Sep 10, 2015
    70
    Ones And Sixes is an album brimming with ideas, but with such a varied batch of songs, some work better than others.
  23. New Musical Express (NME)
    Sep 10, 2015
    70
    Even if Ones And Sixes doesn't end up the proverbial fan favourite, it maintains Low's status as a reliably moving creative partnership.
  24. PopMatters
    Sep 3, 2015
    70
    Ones and Sixes is the sound of Low operating in a different gear.
  25. Consequence
    Sep 9, 2015
    67
    It just needs to be a passionate, cathartic, connective emotional experience. For the most part, Ones and Sixes fits that bill.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 25
  3. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. Rob1986
    Nov 19, 2015
    9
    Great bounce back from an average effort(Invisible Way). This album is as good as Drums and Guns, my 2nd favorite Low album. I don't get theGreat bounce back from an average effort(Invisible Way). This album is as good as Drums and Guns, my 2nd favorite Low album. I don't get the comments I've seen about this being a more accessible album than what they've done previously. Maybe a couple tracks are somewhat like that. There's hardly a wasted second on this album. It's very consistent, nearly every note is enjoyable.… Full Review »
  2. gdumog
    Sep 24, 2015
    9
    If your musical tastes are from bands coming from the "shoegazing" or the Brian Wilson rock`s style, this album is for you. Pretty goodIf your musical tastes are from bands coming from the "shoegazing" or the Brian Wilson rock`s style, this album is for you. Pretty good arrangements and sounds. 9/10… Full Review »
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