The 11th studio album by Minnesota-based indie-rock band Low definitely ranks among their best.
Low, one of the pioneering bands of the 1990s slowcore movement (although don’t tell them I said that), are a group that have maintained not only a substantial level of quality on each of their records, but have also managed to change their sound with each new record. This results in a discography that has a diverse but ultimately distinctive sound.
If you aren’t already familiar with Low’s music, fear not—they are one of the least daunting experimental rock groups out there. I say experimental rock, because they are a group that takes what would be relatively accessible tunes and experiments with the speed they are performed. They started their career by playing extremely slowly, stretching their chords into an sleepy, dream-like state that was beautiful enough to send a shiver down your spine. Even with their later releases lacking the same slowcore mentality of their earlier records, they’ve maintained what I would argue is the key feature to their sound: flawless vocal harmonies between Alan Spearhawk and Mimi Parker.
Their music may have gone up in pace over the years, and perhaps the inclusion of electronic elements on this record, reminiscent of their massively overlooked 2007 effort Drums & Guns, may leave fans of their earlier records scratching their heads, but make no mistake—this is the same band all around. I mean, even claiming that they’ve upped the pace is a bit misleading. By Low standards, there are some fast songs on here (“No Comprende,” “No End,” and “Kids in the Corner” come to mind specifically). However, when compared to the poppy, rise-and-fall style of music that populates modern indie-rock, Ones and Sixes is definitely one of the slower records out there. The issue with this argument is that the essence of Low’s music isn’t just that they play slowly—this collection of songs proves that.
Ones and Sixes is one of the best entries in Low’s already stellar discography; they’ve evolved so much throughout the course of their career but the essence of what makes them a good band has never changed. Their music is absolutely gorgeous, and I stand firmly when I say that Alan and Mimi have never written a bad lyric in their lives. Songs like “Spanish Translation,” “The Innocents,” and “Landslide” move along with gorgeous melodies and almost drone-like finales, all the while woven together by heart wrenching lyrics and vocal performances.
If you’re a fan of indie-rock, slowcore, or even if the term indie-rock makes you roll your eyes, I really can’t recommend Ones and Sixes enough. It’s an extremely powerful album, written and performed to perfection by one of the most consistent and overlooked groups of this generation.
