Low

It was intriguing to hear that Low's new full-length, its first for Sub Pop, was being touted as texturally "aggressive." But what did that mean? A cross between the more dissonant aspects of altrock emoticons the Smashing Pumpkins and Sunny Day Real Estate? Apparently not. "Aggressive," in this case, means that increasingly ubiquitous producer Dave Fridmann has slapped some digital-sounding distortion on most of the drum tracks, that singer/ guitarist Alan Sparhawk has perhaps invested in a few new distortion pedals, and that, well, not much else. By all other accounts, Destroyer's melodies, lyrics, and rhythms recall the same lush, reverb-soaked territory fans have found on Low's past several releases. Whether or not this is a good thing depends on how much you expect a band to mature with each new work.>