Long Division

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
On its second full album, --Long-Division , the Duluth, Minnesota, trio Low moves further away from being a Galaxie 500 tribute band by embracing English post-punk influences such as Joy Division and the Young Marble Giants, especially on the songs that drummer Mimi Parker sings. The restraint the group shows in exploring its minimalist, somnambulant grooves is admirable, and for the right times-say, rainy Sunday mornings, or nap time on a snowy afternoon-this is the perfect album. On the other hand, it should carry a sticker warning people to avoid listening when they're driving or operating heavy machinery. --Jim DeRogatis --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews:

nice assortment.......2007-03-13

I enjoy historical music, and this cd was a good assortment of songs. I was expecting all bouncy country dances, but some tracks sound more complex and serious. I'm no expert on country dances, so I don't know if the selections are representative, but I enjoy the entire album. Perfect for an afternoon of relaxing with some good music and it won't put you to sleep.

aka "apollo's Banquet" watch out!.......2006-10-05

I can say that this was a surprise, and it's my fault for not checking the contents track by track. This is a re-issue of Apollo's banquet, and also a re-issue of the same from yet another name! I've had Apollo'w banquet for a long time. Somehow, I thought this CD would be mixed consort English music. Not so, it's mostly violin + cittern/ continuo.

Under the name "apollo's banquet" it's been a favorite of mine for years- very good division violin work, very nice improv too. This is top notch.

Nevertheless, beware! $6 for this disk is a real bargain- but it's still too pricey if you've already got it on your shelf! It seems this series is a fabulous value- I have the Italian renaissance dan ces vol 2 too, and it is also superb performace practice.

This series is a great way to buy excellent performances on the cheap- just watch out in case you already have it!

You may not want this if . . . ........2006-03-26

Personally, I found the music a bit slow and subdued. Not what one typically thinks of country dance music being like. However, the reason I rate it so low is because of the deception on the part of the producer/manufacturer/packager/whatever of this cd. This CD is actually the same - track for track, down to the timings - as "English Country Dances from Playford's Dancing Master". But this CD is deceptively attributed to the individual members of the band instead of naming the group, The Broadside Band. It is cheaper than the original cd, though. The short and sweet - if you have the Broadside Band cd, you don't want this one.

Delightful Music-making!.......2005-08-27

These selections of English Country Dances from the publications of the English music publisher John Playford are recorded and played so well as to relegate any criticism to spoiled grapes. Perhaps a musicologist might carp on some fine points, but then again probably not - musicologists actually enjoy a good tune, too. There is a nice couple pages of notes by Jack Ashworth on the historical background of the music, and a further short page by David Douglass on how he envisioned the 'nature' of several of the pieces. There is also a French translation following the English notes. Seven instruments are mixed higgledy-piggledy as the performers deem best - a copy of a 1652 Amati Violin, and copies of a Theorbo, a Cittern, a 16-string harp, an Italian Double Harp, an Irish Harp, and a Guitar. For the curious Douglass plays the violin only, but offers playing consanguineous with his name.
Among the choices cut 15 - "Long Cold Nights" - seems almost New Age in its evocation of the heavens: one might be in Big Sur looking up at the stars. The many other pieces come in divers moods and tempi, with great care given to which instruments are employed. It's difficult to imagine anyone disliking such engaging tunes, such joy in their making. The recording is of course digital so it helps to have a system capable of taming the inevitable string stridencies, but that said - if you like music from this period, or are curious, this CD offers a wonderful selection.

Buy it!!!.......2003-09-12

This is a great cd! Very lively at times; very mellow at other times - but all tracks are wonderful interpretations of traditional songs by highly talented musicians....and who can argue with the price? BUY THIS CD if you are at all into this type of music!

Average customer rating:

A different definition of "beautiful".
The lo-fi masters brilliant statement.
Suspended in Heaven
slow - s = low
slow and good

Long Division
Low
Manufacturer: Vernon Yard Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000A3W
Release Date: 1995-05-23

Tracks:

Violence
Below & Above
Shame
Throw Out the Line
Swingin'
See-through
Turn
Caroline
Alone
Streetlight
Stay
Take

Amazon.com

On its second full album, --Long-Division , the Duluth, Minnesota, trio Low moves further away from being a Galaxie 500 tribute band by embracing English post-punk influences such as Joy Division and the Young Marble Giants, especially on the songs that drummer Mimi Parker sings. The restraint the group shows in exploring its minimalist, somnambulant grooves is admirable, and for the right times-say, rainy Sunday mornings, or nap time on a snowy afternoon-this is the perfect album. On the other hand, it should carry a sticker warning people to avoid listening when they're driving or operating heavy machinery. --Jim DeRogatis

Customer Reviews:

A different definition of "beautiful"........2005-09-27

Low is a beautiful band, there is no doubt about that. But as the review title suggests, they're not quite what you'd expect out of the word. You won't find any gorgeous string sections or soaring choirs (a la the Edward Scissorhands OST) on a Low album. Instead, this Minnesota trio has re-discovered the lost art of subtletly. They play 30 beat-per-second pieces with insturmentation skimpy enough to leave more silence than actual noise. It gets to the point where a slight chord change gives you the same feeling of a 10 minute, shape-shifting prog-rock song. They're one of the most minimalist bands I've ever heard.

Low takes these barely-there soundscapes, and plugs their own depressing, moody lyrics and amazing vocal harmonies on top of them, creating an aura of a lost, dreary existence. Imagine walking through a snow-filled forest on a February morning, or through a dry Midwestern town on an overcast afternoon, and you'll get a good idea of what it all sounds like.

The end result is a melancholy gem that, although requiring several listens to fully appreciate, is just as beautiful as alot of maximalist work. There are a couple spots where they get a little TOO mood music-y ("Alone"), but they've constantly worked and improved on this formula over the years.

The lo-fi masters brilliant statement........2002-11-12

Low is a Duluth, Minnesota based trio, formed to combat the abrasiveness and boredom of the grunge movement. LONG DIVISION is the second release, and arguably the best. Describing its music is like trying to explain a David Lynch film; words fail to relay the meaning and scope of the music.

Low specialize in that style of music most often referred to as 'lo-fi', 'sad-core', and 'slo-core'. They use minimal instrumentation-a cymbal and snare drum, bass guitar, and electric guitar with a 'clean' tone. The tempos are slow. Some of the material reminds me of something that would fit nicely on Angelo Badalamenti's TWIN PEAKS or BLUE VELVET soundtracks, or perhaps some wierd mix of MASSIVE ATTACK and PORTISHEAD sans the samples and electronics-very slow, very emotional, very evokative, very simple.

LONG DIVISION is quite an album. From the opening sparse notes played on the guitar in "Violence" (using reverb to great effect I might add) the listener is beckoned to come in, to close everything else out and be immersed in the waves of slow melancholy and vocal harmony. The beautiful female vocals of "Below & Above" and the wonderful harmonies and minor chord changes of "Throw Out The Line" cement themselves in the brain. How can such 'simplistic' music have us coming back time and again? Well, sometimes simple is better I guess. "Caroline", "Alone", and "Stay" are marvelous songs as well. Listen to how the group uses quiet (near silence) on this album-it's amazing. You will even hear sparse conversation and a cough here or there from a band member.

While LONG DIVISION might not be something you'll play day in and day out, any musician can appreciate the beauty of simplicity, and I have it in my CD player for weeks at a time. A very enlightening and organic experience.

Highly recommended.

Suspended in Heaven.......2001-11-10

I bought this CD a long time ago on the basis of word of mouth, and now Low are my favorite group. Listen to them whenever you wish, at first, to let your ears get used to their style and sound. Then, at about the tenth listen, sit in a quiet room, close your eyes, and breathe slowly and deeply. Low defies gravity by picking up the listener and suspending him/her in a limbo-land of ecstasy where time has no meaning. If you listen closely, you will hear your own heart beating - Low is exactly what it's been waiting for. Simply transcendent music, skillfully performed!

slow - s = low.......2000-12-15

have you ever seen those street performers who look like they're just standing there, but by the end of the day they've moded into a different position. it was just like they were doing it at such slow increments that you couldn't detect movement?

low is the musical equivilant of that. maybe it has something to do with the soft production. at first listen you hear a wall of noise. kind of a soft tone that goes for a few minutes. but on further listens you notice more and more things about the songs until they become catchy. i've had this album for a few weeks now, and i find something new every day. it's amazing.

slow and good.......2000-12-04

a great album. awesome production, very full and rich- especially considering the minimal amount of instruments and information. making less say more is an understatement. great vocals and back-up vocal melodies.