The Low Anthem – Oh My God, Charlie Darwin – Album Review

I don’t usually think of Ohio as a great receptor of pop culture or even a healthy respite from the stressors of the world.  Nonetheless, I can’t deny the heartfelt pride I feel when I hear music that alludes to our state.  I like it when Jimmy Buffett refers to Cincinnati and can even get behind the horrible connection to CSNY’s “Ohio” and all the bad press that brought the Buckeye State.  I suppose this is inconsequential, really, but when The Low Anthem begins their newest release, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, by referencing our home state as more of a transcendental idea of idyllic peace and rest, I can’t help but get the chills and buy completely into the world they’re creating.  The album dropped two days ago, and I’ve been playing it for weeks, trying to gather up all of the brilliant pieces of this record into a clear enough idea to present to you.  It’s a spritually guided album that is extremely well-crafted and the thematic and artistic development make this a noteworthy album for discussion this year.  If anything, this is an album that generates plenty of wealth for your ears, awash with finely crafted arrangements and subtle intricacy.

Americana seems to be my thing, and the entrancing first trio of songs is alluring and riddled with depth lyrically.  In “Charlie Darwin,” the album’s opener, breathy vocals rise and fall while the acoustic strums and a softly placed synth riding behind create a dreamy and emotional landscape; it’s a hell of an ambitious opener. Who can heed the words of Charlie Darwin?  Charles Darwin is not the narrator’s pal here and the informality of calling him “Charlie” is immediately juxtaposed by the track’s metaphor.  This man is being engulfed by the sea and, in a sense, has given up any hope for survival.  Spooning water from the broken vessel.  As far as I can see there is no land.  As the gorgeous melody unfolds, Charlie is nowhere to be found.  The water’s cold and shapeless. Oh my God it’s all around.  Its retro-spiritual vibe and eerily taut vocals of despair are brilliantly done and the metaphor of sea and life is crisp and non-cliche.  The second track, “To Ohio,” is a narrative about leaving Louisiana and traveling to Ohio. As I sit and type in a dreary classroom in Cleveland, I don’t usually look at Ohio as heavenly, but the ascent northward to find his lost love again in Ohio is obviously metaphorical. Heard her voice singin’ in the pines in Ohio.  Saying bless your soul you crossed that line to Ohio.  The third track, “Ticket Taker,” is driven by vocals and lyrics.  A simple acoustic arrangement sits behind more breathy, nearly spoken vocals that spiral through and force thought.  They say before he bit it, that the boxer felt no pain.  Somewhere there’s a gamblin man with a ticket in the rain. The initial three song tour de force to start the record is worth the bucks you’ll shell out to get the LP.  Slices of Americana, countrified sentimentality and thought provoking word play force the audience to go backward often and repeat these gems.

Musically, OMGCD is not relegated to slow and contemplative balladry at all.  There are shifts to the album and splashes of color reside all over this thing, particularly bluesy sludge undertones, musical experimentation, and finely crafted arrangements. At the fourth track, “The Horizon is a Beltway” signifies the diversity of the record, as the sound takes a big left turn.  Softly delivered crooning is replaced by raspy and gravelly shouted sing-along vocals.  It’s a banjo ass-kicking song that brings vivacious energy out of the gloom as Ben Miller and Jocie Adams raucously shout out a more positive aura.  It’s plucky, toe-tapping and is a welcome reprieve from the more brooding nature of the first three songs.  Much of the press surrounding these smart-guy rockers alludes to the musicianship of the live show and Tom Waits-ish influence.  Band members slide from zither to banjo to keys to guitars and while dustbowl Americana is this band’s forte, it’s a dangerous mistake to pigeonhole them.  Similar shifts occur in “Home I’ll Never Be” where some front porch creaking harmonica and bluesy sludge leap this far out of folky waters.  “Cage the Songbird” signifies a return to the original vibe of the ablum, with hand shakers, gorgeous multiple harmonies all planted within a folk ballad with an Irish tinge.  Miller is a little more distant from the mic on this one, and it allows his true singular voice to ring out.  You’re tortured by the change of the seasons, each grain is your last. . . God cage the songbird before the feathers turn brown.  Ultimately with this album it’s the mixture of lofty arrangement and excellent words that set this apart.  In this track, a plea to God to save the day is in direct opposition to the evolutionary references of Charlie Darwin.  I suppose if things look bleak, it’s time to stop relying on instinct and hope there’s another way out.

The Low Anthem is a trio with intelligence and no doubt these dudes must have slaved over this album.  It’s always refreshing to see bands that embrace the concept of an album.  Thematically, the record comes right back to the ideas of Darwin with “Omgcd,” a church house folk anthem.  Darwin eventually wins the race, as expected, but there’s also a deep spiritual reconciliation at the album’s close.  Our better half will stay, but I will go is a line that both allows the ideas of death and loss to win, but there’s also a split where a journey is still on the horizon.  As the album then goes to a reprise of “To Ohio,” theres a bit of comfort knowing that narrator, while ultimately losing, has made it across that line.  Awesome album.  Amazing talent.  Rich musicianship.  This is what it’s all about, folks.  If you’re not buying this immediately, you’re missing a gem.

Enjoy “Charlie Darwin” below, buy the album, and be sure to check out their live show stream from Bonnaroo on Friday at 4:00 Central Time.  I know I’ll be watching.

The Low Anthem – “Charlie Darwin”

Live show stream:  Friday @ 4:00 PM http://music.att.net/