THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE (2001) 8 Sunflower/Whitetail/Dinosaur Act/Medicine Magazines/Laser Beam/July/Embrace/Whore/Kind Of Girl/Like A Forest/Closer/In Metal Never before has there been a band whose name so perfectly describes their music. Low are a three-piece outfit from Minesota, USA who deal in low-fi, understated, minimalist tracks with sparse accoustic guitar and string accompaniment. They don't fit easily into any one particular genre, but folk and country influences are prevalent and names such as Mazzy Star, Nick Drake, and Simon and Garfunkel spring to mind when listening to them. But none of these influences dominate, and instead, Mimi Parker, Alan Sparhawk, and Zak Sally use them to produce their own special brand of magic. 'Things We Lost in the Fire' is a fantastic album, produced by the magnificent Steve Albini who has also worked with the likes of Nirvana, The Pixes and PJ Harvey. This album is not, however, something that is instantly lovable. The utter starkness of it takes a while to get used to, but once you do finally 'get' it, it's definitely worth the wait! The opening track, 'Sunflower' sees Parker and Spearhawk display the wonderful vocal hamories that characterises both the band and the album. Their voices compliment each other so well, and tracks such as 'Whore', 'Kind of Girl', and 'Like A Forest', stand right up there with the likes of Simon and Garfunkel. It is 'Laser Beam', however, that is without a doubt the stand-out track on this album. It is perhaps one of the most startlingly bleak songs I have ever heard. A single voice bereft of everything except a barely-there guitar to accompany it, it is the sort of song that hits you where you feel it most, taking you unawares, making you stop whatever you are doing and just sit drinking in every single note. The harmonies of the other tracks are absent here, with all of the vocals belonging to Parker. And what a vocal performance it is! Her voice captures just the right amount of desperation and yearning. It is a voice that is speaking to you and you alone and it leaves you breathless. 'July' provides a great follow-on from 'Laser Beam' to the extent that it's difficult to tell where one track ends and the other begins. On the whole, 'Things We Lost In The Fire' is an album full of beauty and serenity. Low are one of those bands who seemt o be eveyone's special little secret, and never seemt o make it into the mainstream And you don't want them to, you want to keep them all to yourself!! But there's no denying that their talent and creativity is so immense that one day they could be huge! But until then, go and buy this album, put it on the stereo, make yourself all cosey by the fire, and immerse yourself in a world of beauty and peace. Send A Comment Guy Peters - 07/01/04 I was very surprised ànd glad to stumble across your review of "Things We Lost in the Fire". Low seems to be a very respected band among critics and people who love that kinda stuff, yet few people seem to tackle their music. And i guess it's easy to understand why. Their brand of minimalism, excrutiatingly low volume and slow pace is something of an anomaly - even when compared to other bands that are usually lumped under the "quiet is the new loud"-moniker. Yet, i can also understand producer Steve Albini, who once called 'em one of the loudest bands in the world (or something like that). With the bare essentials , they make more of an impact than most other bands with a 10ft high stack of Marshall amplifiers. I used to think the second half was kinda weak, but repeated listening made me like the entire album, though "Sunflower" (one of the best songs of 2001!) and "Dinosaur Act" are my favorites. Anyway, nice review! I'm lookin' forward to future updates... BACK TO INDEX       BACK TO MUSIC REVIEWS INDEX