Low
Ones And Sixes

It is well known by now that Low is one of the most interesting bands in the slowcore scene, as well as one of the musical realities that has most successfully survived the weight of time, often alternating good quality albums with excellent ones. As was already evident from their last work of the '90s (produced by Steve Albini), Low has changed face, or rather, they were beginning to change face.

But it's only a matter of aesthetics and conformity related to the times we are living in, in fact, Low are always, and (I dare to say) will always be the same... the same nostalgic standard-bearers of slowness and dense sadness as works of the caliber of "I Could Live in Hope" and "Long Division" remind us, in short, Low have changed their formal appearance by conforming to what the world music scene predicted but have remained loyal to their idea of music and conceptual belief.

After this preamble, which I believe is necessary especially in the eyes of a reader/listener who completely ignores the path of the American band, let's finally move on to our "Ones and Sixes."

Everything I thought I perfectly found in this album, Low has perfectly merged their music with an external component like electronic music, and to prove this, just listen to the first minute of the opening track of the album. The melancholic tones are always the same, Mimi's sweet voice immediately blends with Alan's nostalgic singing, creating a magical understanding. Mimi's reverberated hits on ride and snare with her faithful brushes have disappeared to make way for electronics that are never invasive and perfectly functional to their new way of making music, and the clean but heavily reverberated sounds of Alan's guitar make way for a more studied use of effects. The sweet lullabies ("What Part of Me," "Kid in the Corner," and "The Innocents") which the band has accustomed us to since their debut back in '94 are not missing, nor are episodes that in some ways recall their production of the '90s ("Lies").

In its Slow-Pop-Electronic guise (forgive the juxtaposition of genres), Ones and Sixes also holds other nuances that at first impact might seem light-years away from the band's standards; indeed guitar flashes reminiscent of "Shieldzian" memory (forgive the term once again) are not missing, incredibly taking Low onto tracks very dear to Shoegaze musicians ("Landslide").

Ones and Sixes is ultimately an enveloping album that once again manages to cradle the listener in its sweet lullabies alternating with strong pop-inspired jolts, yet allowing space for electronic contamination, a splendid album that certainly ranks among the band's most beautiful and unusual works, an album that stands well even when compared to the band's old works, an album that will reveal an unheard side of Low to those who already know the band, and which can equally serve as an excellent starting point to discover the magical world of Low made of desolation and nostalgia but also sweetness.