Whoever told the Low Anthem’s vocalist that he sounded anything like Tom Waits should be taken behind a dirty old farm shed and shot in the face. Am I bitter? A little. I was very excited from the description I had heard of the Low Anthem, I expected a really good gravely voice led jazzy folk record. But that is not what I heard at all.
Although folksy it is, the vocals whine rather than croon, perhaps moaner would be a better term than balladeer. In fact, I almost found it so whiney it was hard to listen to. Except for the Tom Waits cover Home I’ll Never Be, which is actually quite well done and although still not really sounding like old Tom, the vocals are a little lower and more of a spoken song style of delivery, which honestly works a lot better. This is unfortunate ,or I would have written this album off completely and thrown it in the garbage and forgotten the bands name, so that it would never darken anyone’s doorway.
But now I have to question is there in fact a good band hidden down below the depths, just waiting to be teased out? And in fact I feel an obligation to listen to it again to look for hints of this. Maybe I can hear bits and pieces of it at other times. Is there in fact a good album there, that I just missed, or was this track a fluke, because this track is rather enjoyable. Why must it torture me like this.
Come on if you’re a bad band just be a bad band. Don’t do this whole show signs of greatness behind our backs type thing. I mean what is that, why not just make all good songs are you afraid of appearing weak or something, afraid of trying? I don’t know.
I keep putting this album on and after a few songs shutting it off, looking for that something that I am not getting, or overlooking. yet at the same time being unable to stomach the overall weakness of it. I don’t know it has to be there somewhere. And there is definitely potential here.
Still doesn’t sound like Tom Waits though. But it just doesn’t seem to really be able to grab me. I should listen to it again maybe. Then again and again, or maybe I should just give up and accept it as it is.
