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Operating with the implied weight and force of a wrecking ball in slow motion, Low have long-since perfected the art of their static lullabys. Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker's voices merge and hold with a timeless poise to pierce the heart amid the chasms of silence that are bridged by their cautious, incremental melodies. It's fitting that their first record was overseen by Galaxie 500's producer Kramer, and Low still remain an archtype of lethargic beauty. With Steve Albini behind the boards again this time, Things We Lost in the Fire allows Low to continue on their path to perfection largely untouched, updating their intense less-is-more formula with subtle instrumental flourishes and what seems like an increased desire to make concrete lyrical connections. There's a bare stridency that's most noticable on last year's single, the sublime Dinosaur Act. It's a dynamism that stands a world away from their more pin-drop moments and confirms the tense perfection of Low, even as they make adjustments to their warm and refined music with the speed and abandon of a continental shift.

Martin Williams
CWAS #7 - Spring 2001

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