Low - review of Transmission
L o w
home
the songs
discography
tour archive
reading
CKM label
  trustlow.com
Album Reviews

Low, Transmission


Album Notes

Low's third record, TRANSMISSION, is a six-song EP (the last track is both unlisted and untitled). Released between the band's second and third albums, it marks a turning point in Low's sound, though a very slight one. On earlier records, and on a pair of the tracks on this EP, the production duties were handled by Kramer and had a little bit of a brittle edge. Because the band worked with other producers for the remaining tracks on this EP, the band's sound is fuzzier, blurring some of the shiny guitars and making the band seem colder and more removed.

The title track is a song originally written by Joy Division (it previously appeared on the A MEANS TO AN END tribute) that is perfectly suited to Low's style; slow, meandering, and anchored to an expressive, but even-tempered bass line. "Caroline 2" is a bare-bones version of "Caroline" (from LONG DIVISION), with Alan Sparhawk's voice initially accompanied only by a lone guitar. Presented as a kind of short lullaby, "Jack Smith" is another cover. The EP ends in an extremely somber mood, with more than ten minutes of a single tone and delicate, brushed drumming that underlies a bleak tale of death.

 

Transmission on Amazon.com