For seven albums now, the band headed by Minnesota Mormon couple Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker have droned in their own long-fused fashion - they were christened "slowcore" during the grunge years.
Now on their eighth album and second for Sub Pop and with Mercury Rev/Flaming Lips producerDave Fridmann after 2005's The Great Destroyer, the trio - with bassist Matt Livingston - have widened their canvas with increasing use of keyboards and electronic rhythms and textures behind the guitar and close harmony vocal framework.
But the sound is still spare, pushing Sparhawk and Parker's voices to the fore on this mesmerising set of songs which may speak of life during violent times, but do so with a plaintive beauty.
That's whether it's grinding out askew blues on the opener Pretty People, being breathtaking as they head close to Sigur Ros glacial-rock territory on Murderer, or showing proof of a sense of humour on Hatchet with its lyrics about resolving the age-old Beatles v Stones conflict ("You be my Marianne and I'll be your Yoko"). And it's a brave band that names a song Sandinista after the Clash dedicated an entire triple album to the phrase. But they pull that off quite beautifully too.
Label: Sub Pop
Verdict: American alt-rock minimalists Low rise to a new high on politically pointed album
