Last year, I spent a lot of time trying to wrap my head around the last Low Anthem album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. It had a great title, some high points, but really only one truly great song. It was a bit of a mess to be honest. I’m happy to report that Smart Flesh is a much stronger record.
It starts well, with a nice piano ballad, “Ghost Woman Blues.” It’s very mellow and easy to sink myself into it. Generally, a decent start to the album.
Next is “Apothecary Love,” a traditional folk ballad driven by an acoustic guitar. I like the concept behind the song, as the lyrics go: “if you see me down by the apothecary again/I can’t find a cure for the shape that I’m in.” An apothecary is an interesting place to begin a doomed relationship.
Next up is “Boeing 747.” Finally, the album starts to wake up. The guitars sound like they’re being played violently in a way that I enjoy. The whole thing-drums, bass, horns-is produced in a way that kind of mashes everything together. It’s obviously done on purpose. The lyrics that begin the song are great, as well: “I was in the air when the towers came down/in a bar on the 84th floor.”
Track 8 is called “Hey, All You Hippies.” The title alone had me sharpening my knives before I actually heard it, but it isn’t bad. It’s a pretty standard ‘70’s style country rock number.
This album is generally pretty solid throughout. It’s nothing mindblowing, but it’s enjoyable. There are no real missteps, either. As much as the album doesn’t really dazzle at any point, it doesn’t fail, either. If you enjoy relatively standard folk/country/rock stuff, you could enjoy this.
Track listing:
1. Ghost Woman Blues
2. Apothecary Love
3. Boeing 737
4. Love and Altar
5. Matter of Time
6. Wire
7. Burn
8. Hey, All You Hippies!
9. I’ll Take Out Your Ashes
10. Golden Cattle
11. Smart Flesh
Find more from Low Anthem here.
