Review: The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh

Artist: The Low Anthem
Title: Smart Flesh
Format: Full-length
Year: 2011
Label: Bella Union/Smart Flesh
Genre: Folk/americana
Rating: 79 / 100

It has already been more than a month since this record was released (official releasedate was February 21st), but it was three days ago when I finally decided to really pull those tones through my speakers and let my ears enjoy the soothing tones The Low Anthem has to offer. And to be fair it actually was my first experience with The Low Anthem. Being quite a young band it is very surprising to hear their more traditional, almost americana like folk sound, with the regular use of unconventional instruments like an autoharp, pipe organ, horns and flutes. In this modern wave of folk music they tend to stand out due to their more traditional approach, where bands like Mumford & Sons or The Avett Brothers go for the bit more modern folkrock sound, The Low Anthem keeps it more simple, focussing on the true basis of folk music, but with the fine addition of somewhat, in pop music at least, forgotten instruments.

The overall sound of the album is pretty introvert, quite relaxing actually, it sometimes reminds me a bit of slowcore bands like Bedhead or Codeïne, but the folky variant of course. This melancholic atmosphere could with ease attract devotees of this genre, together with those who enjoy the traditional sound of americana. Something one wouldn't normally hear in records in this genre is the very heavy bass sound, that is, the very heavy bass sound in some songs. Especially tracks like Boeing 737 and Hey, All You Hippies! (love that title) have a very heavy, droning bass underneath, in stark contrast to the folky tones above, and the jangling banjo and high-pitched flutes on the rest of the album. This bass is probably what was necessary in some cases to come to those lovely climaxes to be heard at the end of some songs on this album, which really is a big plus.

People who read this blog regularly might have noticed I really like modern folk music, that is the reason why I couldn't really get into this album the first time. It's very different from what you would expect from a folk album released in 2011, nevertheless, Smart Flesh is a beautiful addition to their still very modest discography. It's the perfect bridge between modernity and traditionality, which will hopefully be discovered further the upcoming few years, because this bridge offers a nice perspective of how folk music could be played.

Spread some apothecary love,

Selwin.