The Low Anthem
There is a good chance that you’ll know of The Low Anthem. They are getting a lot of radio play at the moment and they’re currently in the UK at the moment taking advantage of this new-found publicity to play the Union Chapel this evening (23rd June) followed by two appearances at Glastonbury and an appearance at Hard Rock Calling on the same weekend on Bruce Springsteen day. The song you may have heard on that record will have been To Ohio, a gentle song with relaxing tones. It comes from the album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, which has just been re-released by their record label a couple of weeks ago.
This isn’t their first album though. The Low Anthem began in 2006 in Providence, Rhode Island as a band consisting of Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky. They met at Brown University, coming together as on-air personalities for the college’s alternative rock station WRBU. The duo had previously played together in ensembles since 2002 and at first were joined by Dan Lefkowitz in 2006. Shortly afterwards, he left the band amicably. In November 2007, Jocie Adams joined the band, having previously been a classical composer and a NASA technician.
The band have so far released a trio of albums. Following a self-titled debut in 2006, What The Crow Brings was released in 2007 and was followed a year later by the current album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. Since the original release the band then signed to Nonesuch Records in the US and the brilliant Bella Union label in the UK (if you’re a regular reader you’ll know there is much love for that label from me). The new album was recorded on Block Island, Adorea Studios in Hamden, CT and Oestern Studio in Williamsburg, NY. All the songs on these albums have been recorded using a variety of different instruments, such as guitar, trumpet, music box, oil drum and zither to name but a few. On their MySpace they say that on tour they have “enough harmonicas to summon a swarm of locusts.”
So what is next for the band? They will continue to tour Europe for the next few weeks and those near London will have another chance to catch them on the 5th July when they play the O2 Wireless festival in Hyde Park (time of appearance is 4pm, which suits them down to a tee) before going back to the US and Canada for a full-length tour before returning to the UK in September for the End Of The Road festival in the south west and a few other shows too. To say that they are the new Fleet Foxes would be jumping the gun considerably but in the wake of the success of that band, The Low Anthem have all the potential to do very well, and deservedly. Below is a link to a download of their set at NPR’s World Cafe.
The Low Anthem at World Live Cafe, Philadelphia, PA
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Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Max
Filed under: New Music
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http://www.flypmedia.com/issues/32/#12/1
–Great piece on Low Anthem as part of FLYP’s Nonesuch issue. Thought you’d be interested!