The Low Anthem’s 2nd Full-length Record, ‘Oh My God, Charlie Darwin’
Musically, the album is a blend of junkyard rock ‘n roll and stark folk ballads. At their wildest, songs approach the rough edged soul of Tom Waits but ultimately the record maintains a degree of classical elegance. Band members play 27 different instruments on the record including zither, pump organ, Tibetan singing bowl and an oil drum. The Low Anthem pays homage to two heroes with the record’s only cover, a breakneck one-take rendition of “Home I’ll Never Be” – words by Jack Kerouac, music by Waits.
Asked to explain his fixation on Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest, principle songwriter Ben Knox Miller says, “Animals crushing animals. Civilizations crushing civilizations. Millions of years of the powerful crushing the weak, and our civilization and our morals are the survivors. What does that say about us? This record’s about you and me, sitting on top of the foodchain with too much time to think – too much time to write songs.” Miller’s batch of songs live in the tension between a post-Darwinian nihilism and man’s instinctive longing for community; the writing is rich with tangled religious and political allusions.
Free Download of the Single, “Charlie Darwin”
“Charlie Darwin” is a beautifully delicate song that can fill an environment with a mystical hum. It is serenity in musical form. Take a listen for yourself and download the MP3 for FREE.
Download: Charlie Darwin (right click and select “Save Target As” in IE or “Save Link As” in Firefox. To stream click the play button below)
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The Low Anthem is a contemporary folk band from Providence, Rhode Island and can be found at www.lowanthem.com or at www.myspace.com/lowanthem.
