Believe it or not, The Low Anthem are young folk. I describe them as young folk because that is how you would imagine they refer to themselves. They claim to be disinterested in modern music and that certainly comes across in this their first full release. In Oh My God, Charlie Darwin they have crafted a wonderful dustbowl album for the 21st century.
It is utterly charming from beginning to end mainly because they are fully aware of their music crafting strengths. Of the twelve tracks, “Music Box” is a delicate instrumental, and the final “To Ohio (reprise)” is, lazily, a reprise of track two.
“Home I'll Never Be” can be interpreted as a Jack Kerouac adaptation or a Tom Waits cover. Either way, it definitively sets their stall out firmly on the side of folky Americana. The lyrics themselves, however, are not very impressive. More so, they function as a vehicle to drop place names, southern folk clichés and to utilise southern colloquialisms.
They sing hauntingly with heartfelt harmonies. In which sense, particularly on opening number “Charlie Darwin,” you can see a Fleet Foxes resemblance. However, they do switch into a different gear, like in bluesy foot stomper “The Horizon is a Beltway.”
“Ticket Taker” uniquely, or oddly, has grave vocals and a tempo not unlike Leonard Cohen songs. “Cage the Songbird” is a sleepy number that is peppered with biblical references of a God fearing man. It is a delightful number when played live, where the electric guitar is featured more prominently and injects a bit of life and modernity with its lazy jangling metallic strums. Perhaps more touches like that in the studio would have been beneficial. The songs are not without edge or roughness; they all bear an honest 2 a.m. stubble after a late night of drinking bourbon.
“Champion Angel” tries to rectify this bursting into life with a rattle and hum, wheezy harmonica and warm electric guitar fuzz.
The percussion in “The Ghosts Who Write History Books” just about keeps this slow one ticking over. A quiet organ is a constant in the background, interlaced with mournful trumpets. “Omgcd” has a choir-song quality about it where the vocalist ponders the afterlife and the mandolin makes a welcome appearance here between the hand-claps.
Oh My God could be seen as a music nostalgia project that delivers a delightful record. However this is both a blessing and a curse. They have the charisma to pull it off, however, which ensures the crossover to a wider audience is successful. However, the album inherently seeks to be humble and noble, which means it does lack a bit of ambition. That said at the end of the day it is a satisfying listen and leaves me eagerly anticipating any future visit to these shores.
- 6.8
www.myspace.com/lowanthem
SHANE FITZGERALD
OH MY GOD, CHARLIE DARWIN is available from ROAD RECORDS