New Wax


Providence, Rhode Island's The Low Anthem is set to release their second full length on September 2nd. Entitled Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, the album was recorded in an island cabin sporting a makeshift recording studio that had to be transported by ferry. Ranging from junkyard rock ditties to stark folk balladry, the tracks on the album contain a smorgasbord of instrumentation that includes zither, pump organ, Tibetan singing bowl and oil drum. The subject matter of the songs revolves around the warring elements of community and competition. References to Charles Darwin's idea of "survival of the fittest" intermingle with a longing for acceptance. It's an interesting dichotomy and this band of 20-somethings manages to fit the heady subject matter into deftly crafted yet diverse folk songs. There's the album's opener "Charlie Darwin," a gentle track sung in falsetto, and then there's the rough-edged rendition of Jack Kerouac/Tom Waits' "Home I'll Never Be." The band covers sparse material and raucous jangle with equal mastery and Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is some top-notch Americana that builds on their excellent debut. -- Capt. Obvious