it's new to me

the low anthem, oh my god, charlie darwin

apparently this album's over a year old. nonesuch rereleased it over the summer. i heard my now favorite song of the year (take that personal and the pizzas!) "horizon is a beltway" on some radio station last week. "horizon" is the kinda song that made the first marah record sound so great. that wedding of banjo & exile pomp, but with a more dustbowl mentality. like the aforementioned marah, there's a shitload of different instruments on here. the trio apparently switch about alot-- but it ain't in some grand fucking orchestration, it's just kinda there. and i kinda dig it. now, i hate to sound like a jarhead dummass, but the rockers on this record are fucking great. they stomp, they bang, they've got a strain of shane in em (not anything in an overt sense, but the attitude's appreciated). it's the goddamn slow songs that are the confusing ones-- and it ain't a small problem, well over half the record is slow. in fact, the leadoff (almost) title track "charlie darwin" is an excruciating 4:33 of that WAY overused indie falsetto bullshit. had i not heard "horizon" before, there's some doubt I would have continued. the slowers are about 50/50 ("to ohio" & "omgcd" are standouts), but all n all, check it.