As always, eminent shoegazers Low have delivered on an unspoken promise of lush sounds and delicate musicianship. Each song on their latest album lifts away downy branches to reveal a well worn grotto where the indie titans have frolicked many times before. There are noted differences in this album (all bearing good things, of course), but "The Invisible Way" is primarily a reaffirmation of why people should listen to Low.
Drummer/singer Mimi Parker picks up quite a lot of time with the microphone this time around. She's got a gorgeous voice and her (somewhat gloomy, but still powerful) passion meshes well with the mostly reserved percussion and low-end bass work.
"Holy Ghost" is an oceanic ode to loneliness and darkness. "Feeds my passion for transcendence / Turns my water into wine / Makes me wish I was empty," Parker croons. And we're carried right into her pattern of troubled thoughts. The entire album is atmospheric and songs like that (and the midsummer slow heat of "Four Score") lay the mood on thick.
And, oh yeah: Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy produced the album, which is in itself a delightful little element to this work. His presence can be felt immediately in the desolate wanderings of "Amethyst." Indeed, his input here is a like a detour along the journey from the melancholic stirrings of "Dash 7" to his now middle-aged love affair with reverb-soaked acoustics and heart-pounding rhythms. To be as succinct as possible, Tweedy's role here is an important one.
But the album is only as good as it because of the talent already well embedded within Duluth, Minn.-based Low. It's the 10th outing for this band, which long ago perfected its wary vibe. Give this latest offering a listen and you'll surely hear that much.
