by Sapphire Mason-Brown

Created on: July 09, 2011

The Low Anthem are a novel ensemble. Their live performances feature, among other things, the use of interference from mobile phones during an instrumental as well as the musical saw. This facet is evident in the production process behind Smart Flesh. Artists choosing to record their albums in locations other than studios is increasingly common; Erland & the Carnival recorded Nightingale at the bottom of a ship and both Beach House’s Teen Dream and arcade Fire’s Neon Bible were recorded in churches. The Low Anthem opted for a cold abandoned pasta sauce factory in Rhode Island.

Their previous album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin was the album that put them on the map, so to speak. Filled with tales of woe, mortality and Charles Darwin, it was an impressive feat. The question is, have the band managed to continue creating music in the wonderful manner for which they reached acclaim?

With time, yes. Smart Flesh is an album which requires repeat listening and patience as initially many of the songs sound very similar. From the outset, the advantages of recording in their chosen location can be heard. The slow opening track ‘Ghost Woman Blues’ is wonderfully atmospheric, however, there are strong resemblances between this and some of the later tracks. Ben Knox Miller and Jocie Adam’s beautiful harmonies resonate around the room, complimented by a simple piano and bass accompaniment. Jocie Adam’s clarinet solo toward the end of the song binds it together and recaptures the listener, preventing the track from continuing as simply more of the same. Adam’s impressive prowess is fully illustrated by the instrumental track, ‘Wire’.

The album takes an energetic turn with ‘Boeing 737’. The upbeat electric guitar, flugelhorn, drums and electric bass make this one of the closest things The Low Anthem have to an anthem.

The lyrical quality of Smart Flesh is sublime; time should be taken to savour such lyrics as the somber, ‘Knowing in the end you’ll be alone for death does lonely death does creep / So hire yourself a chimney maid and smoke yourself to sleep’ in the album’s title track.

The term ‘folk’ describes Smart Flesh with respect to more than it’s genre. Many of the tracks on the album invoke stories told around a campfire. This is something that is enhanced by the somewhat timeless lyrics which, when paired with Miller’s voice and the band’s music – which often sounds like the perfect accompaniment to American Folklore – bring to mind an era which has past.

Smart Flesh is an impressive feat and is arguably the finest release to date from this talented band.

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