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There are albums that represent a violent turning point in a band's career.
Some are quick to compare this new "Double Negative," the twelfth studio album by the American band Low, to Radiohead's "Kid A," but (apart from the symbolism of a breakthrough album) we are way off track.
"Double Negative" is one of those albums that provoke a sense of alienation after the first listen, greater awareness after the second, and a sudden and irreversible love from the third onwards; this time Low has come very close to applying the label "masterpiece" to one of their records. Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker, and Steve Garrington craft a violent, experimental, and at times physically disturbing album, and they make it clear from the start with the first three singles released in sequence; "Quorum" is a dense magma of sounds folded in on themselves from which the vocal part of the piece struggles to emerge and lacks continuity, as if the voices are being continuously sucked downward and struggle to come to light. It is followed by "Dancing And Blood," which offers only an illusion of greater calm, and the spectacular "Fly," perhaps one of the few pieces with more "classic" writing on the record.
But the real high point of the work is the absolute masterpiece "Always Trying To Work It Out," probably the best piece ever released by Low, with a splendid vocal intertwine that climbs over vibrant sonic pulses. A gem of this kind fits between the purely ambient fascinations of "Tempest," a more typically Low episode like "Dancing And Fire," and a conclusion of great sonic density like "Disarray," released as the fourth single.
The production by B. J. Burton is perfect and incredibly meticulous in untangling such a complex and richly layered sound mix: trip hop, industrial, and dubstep coexist without problems, sometimes within the same track.
This is a sensational and beautiful album by Low, one of the most beautiful alt records of the last ten years, which is absolutely poised to sweep up awards and recognitions, for once truly deserved.
Best track: Always Trying To Work It Out
Tracklist and Samples
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By katte00
They are aided in this by a sickly electronic sound that disintegrates the songs and sounds, rather than building and adding.
The record of the global pandemic. Darkness spreading. The cry of pain breaks in the throat and decomposes on the lips.
