LOW
Trust
Kranky
· S-U-T-T-L-E.
Quiet is not a word to use lightly.
For Low, the fewer the notes, the more majestic the result. On Trust, they keep the volume down and force the listener to creep in closer to pick up every speck of sound. While very little has changed in Low's basic guitar, bass and drums configuration, Trust adds layers of minimal touches subtle enough to be missed if one isn't careful. Be it running water in the background or the percussive sound of the folds of a T-shirt rubbed together, it's what's behind the songs that makes some of the biggest impressions.
That's not to say the songs aren't as good as always – the group vocals of "Diamonds" sets up Low as a sleepy-eyed Fleetwood Mac, while "Snowstorm" would have fit in perfectly on the group's seasonal offering Christmas. "Canada" may be the group's catchiest (and loudest) song to date – Zak Sally's bass bundled up in fuzz-tone and Mimi Parker's tom-toms bashing away from all angles while Alan Sparhawk sings some nonsense about his golden tongue and the wilds of Canada, all the while suggesting "you could la la la la la."
At first, Trust may seem simply like more of the same, but dig deeper into its hidden nooks and you'll find something altogether new – that quiet is a lot more interesting than you may have originally thought.
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