Originally published in Verbicide issue #4

We’ve had new wave, we’ve had no wave, we’ve had slop rock, and indie pop. Somehow, these guys manage to do it all, and turn out something that is fresh and especially rewarding for the listener.

Low Level Owl comes as two separate volumes, but it’s hard not to treat it as a singular experience. The music stands above the lyrics, because this is primarily instrumental, the lyrics are treated as an additional instrument, add to the plethora of sound that evokes a new sort of environment. Some samples include: “Life ties back drop figures and puppets in scissor hands,” or “Sowed a broken blue ocean with old wire hands/found in vacant lots the lonely shells of flowered plans.”

If you like Hum, or Sonic Youth, or Blonde Redhead, or Pavement, this is another band for you. It’s ephemeral, hypnotic, and calming, while spatially stimulating. Remarkable record.

(Deep Elm Records, Post Box 36939, Charlotte, NC 28236)