Best Boy Electric
Songs of Latitude & Longitude
Grand Theft Autumn
By slowing things down, you begin to pay more attention to things. The smaller details become more prominent. I first became acutely aware of this the first time I saw Low. The room moved at a crawl. John was still in the band playing bass. He stood with his back to the crowd, head down, for the entire set. His feet did not move.
John hasn’t been in Low for a while now. Best Boy Electric is his new band. It verifies that slow spacious haunts weren’t a passing interest. Keyboards nestle in with bass, drums, and guitar, and the added texture is appreciated.
The songs are slow and the lyrics stark. I wouldn’t want them to be any different. While the imagery in “Wooden Teeth” sometimes sends a shiver through me, it’s that shiver that makes it one of my favorite tracks on here.
Eight of the tracks on Songs were recorded by Alan Sparhawk of Low, but even that tie-in doesn’t muddle the distinction between the two bands. There is a uniquely different approach to these songs that set them apart from John’s past band, which is comforting. Patiently moving music that is both pretty and sad.
Grand Theft Autumn, 905 S. Lynn St., Urbana, IL 61801; http://www.parasol.com
