Rating: NNN
It’s been a little while since Lowest of the Low’s last studio album, like a decade, but they’ve kept their chops well honed. The wide range of tunage proves the Low are fine songwriters even if they do cling to a mid-90s indie rock aesthetic. With nice, crisp but not too clean production, Sordid Fiction jumps moods from the jangly bounce of Your Birthday Party right into the poignant melancholy of Giulietta The Just and on to the horn-driven old-school pop of Save Me, Alice McNeel! The Low are at their best when they hit on the sad lament and explore the soundscape of space. Some of this may be dated, but there are enough people out there who will embrace it.
Lowest of the Low launch Sordid Fiction at the Phoenix tonight (Thursday, September 30).