The Low AnthemEyeland
Reviewed by: Geno Thackara
I’m fairly certain our metaphysical third eye is the one the Low Anthem is referring to with their latest release. If titles like “Am I the Dream or Am I the Dreamer” and “Her Little Cosmos” don’t give that spacey vibe strongly enough, a few minutes of formless synth noise and reverb-soaked musings should clear up any doubt. Their music is all about creating a soft dreamscape to take your mind somewhere far away.
There are melodies and choruses here, but it feels like their importance is secondary. The band seems more fascinated with what kind of sounds and effects they can weave around that framework. They’re not afraid to spend a few minutes at a time aimlessly squeezing tones out of some keyboard or other, then poke around the place for objects they can use to make rattling noises or birdlike chirps. The chords and patterns are simple while the lyrics stay vague and surreal; Ben Knox Miller generally drifts along in an unassuming monotone at the mike, sounding like a very tired Duncan Sheik who’s discovered some especially good hallucinogens.
Even the conventional elements here often get a little twist. “Behind the Airport Mirror” bends a quiet organ part slightly out of tune while using little electronic buzzes in place of beats. The old-school R&B of “Ozzie” only sounds familiar until it gets slowed down like a cassette stretched out in a dying tape deck. “Am I the Dream…” builds to a crescendo that’s almost bombastic, then throws several layers of abrasive tones all together until it sounds almost as abstract as the album’s formless interlude pieces. The drama goes a bit overboard there, but that makes the peaceful piano ballad of “Dream Killer” that much more refreshing afterwards. After everything that came before, it’s almost weird to hear something so normal.
The high point comes in the middle with “In the Early Morning of the Air Hockey Fire” (what mind-altering experience gave them that phrase, I wonder?) as they turn a light coffeehouse strum and lo-fi beat into something quietly soothing and even inviting. The Low Anthem is most successful in these spots where they don’t seem to be trying too hard to be weird, but let the musical ingredients spin themselves out naturally. “We’re too young to come back and deal with reality,” Miller offers in one of those easy moments. Well, for the running time of Eyeland, they make sure reality is comfortably off the agenda entirely.
Rating: Listenable
