The Needle Drop

Slowcore

Low - "So Blue"

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Low drops another track from the legendary indie rock band's latest album, The Invisible Way. The album is looking at a March release on Sub Pop records.

A lot like the previous track to drop from this album, Low has a knack for giving soft, pretty sounds the kind of urgency that reels me in pretty quickly.

The vocal harmonies on "So Blue" are incredibly beautiful, and the song grows in intensity very nicely as piano and guitar chords get hammered harder and harder. Enjoy!

Low - "Just Make It Stop"

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Stream: Low - "Just Make It Stop" Slowcore and indie rock titans Low are coming out with a new record on the 18th of March titled the Invisible Way. "Just Make It Stop" is the first track to drop from it, and it's absolutely enthralling. I love the harmonized vocals on this track, and the way the band's playing slowly grows in intensity through the first two thirds of the track--you know, instead of shifting gears every time they change from the verse to the chorus.

Also, can we talk about the mantra on this track? "Just Make It Stop" seems to be more than just a catchy line on this thing. It's as if the band is really, truly begging for some sort of alleviation on this track. It's pretty moving. I can't wait to hear more of this LP!

Stream Idaho's You Were a Dick

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The Los Angeles-based band Idaho started out as part of the early 90s slowcore scene in California, with their 1993 debut and subsequent early LPs drawing comparisons to bands like Red House Painters, and American Music Club. While those bands either fell by the wayside or disintegrated into nothingness, Idaho soldiered on through the next decade, remaining in relative obscurity throughout their existence. It's been 6 years since their last release, the experimental the Lone Gunman, but the band has now returned with a slightly more traditional sounding record, You Were A Dick.

Most of the album's 14 songs are gentle, musically sparse compositions, with lightly processed synth, multi-tracked guitar sounds, and steady but minimal percussion. This palatable musical background works as a perfect stage for singer-songwriter Jeff Martin's vocals and lyrics. Lyrically, he has an ability to make profound or at least emotionally affecting statements without saying much at all, lending itself to the album's brevity. Few of these songs top the 3-minute mark, but none of them feel rushed or incomplete.

Vocally, Martin operates like an affected Mark Kozelek. He's probably capable of reaching the vocal highs and lows of the Red House Painters frontman, but either aware that he doesn't need to or simply to shy to do so on record. Either way, these songs benefit from that reservedness.

Most of You Were A Dick's sound is exemplified by the title track. "You Were A Dick" is not emotionally crushing or incredibly depressing, but rather it is sad in a very understated way.The band does branch out from this formula for some songs, however. On "The Space Between", Idaho sounds relatively happy, even though this is mostly due only to the increased tempo. This track may stick out to some, but in my opinion it adds a needed feeling of variety to the album.

You Were A Dick is now streaming in its entirety on Idaho's bandcamp page, embedded above. The record is available to buy digitally, on CD, and in a limited vinyl release on their bandcamp page as well.