New Music Reviews: Low, Deafheaven, Sun-El Musician

It’s a strong week of records this week. Two records reflect changed style – Minnesota’s Low have added distorted guitars to their slow-paced folk, as they’ve done on their previous pair of records, while San Francisco’s Deafheaven have toned down their screaming. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Sun-El Musician keeps in his lane of South African house music.

Low

HEY WHAT

2021, 8.5/10
Low are an act with a rich, deep catalogue that goes back to 1994’s I Could Live In Hope. They’re from Duluth, Minnesota, the same city that gave the world Bob Dylan, Soul Asylum’s Dan Murphy, and R.E.M.’s Bill Berry. The core of Low is a married couple – guitarist Alan Sparhawk and drummer Mimi Parker. They’ve never been a commercial force – HEY WHAT is actually their highest-charting record in the UK, reaching #23.

On HEY WHAT, it’s just Sparhawk and Parker with no bassist. Producer B.J. Burton has worked with Low over their last three albums, steering them towards a more abrasive sound – instrumentally, HEY WHAT is dominated by Sparhawk’s distorted guitar textures. If the two piece format sounds like The White Stripes, it’s far from it – the guitar provides a framing for the duo’s vocals. The vocals are often pushed way up front, with striking a cappella openings to ‘Days Like These’ and ‘The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)’. At heart, this new era of Low is a continuation of the slow and minimal sound the band have always embraced, although I find Low’s newer work more accessible than beloved 1990s works like The Curtain Hits The Cast.

Despite the distorted guitars, HEY WHAT is often beautiful. ‘I Can Wait’ is simple and repetitive, but it only serves to emphasise the beauty of the pair’s vocals. The guitar acts like another vocalist on ‘Days Like These’, harmonising with Parker and Sparhawk. The focal point of Hey What is ‘Hey’ – it stretches almost seven minutes, and pushes close to shoe-gaze. ‘More’ leaves a cutting guitar riff relatively unadorned – it serves as a dramatic backdrop for the pair’s vocals.

Low are on their thirteenth studio album, but it seems as though there’s still plenty of fuel in the tank.

---

Deafheaven

Infinite Granite

2021, 8/10
San Francisco band Deafheaven have built up as a strong reputation over the past decade, playing a distinctive sound known as blackgaze by melding black-metal and shoe-gaze. Blackgaze already exisited previously, through the French band Alcest, but Deafheaven releases like 2013’s Sunbather helped to popularise the sub-genre. Their fifth album, Infinite Granite, has caused some consternation among metal fans by toning down the screaming. It’s also moved Deafheaven into the zone of something I can happily enjoy – the screaming is still there, but it’s mostly saved for the songs’ emotional climaxes.

There’s a face-melting riff at the centre of ‘The Gnashing’, but lead vocalist George Clarke sings conventionally and he sounds great. Standout closing track ‘Mombasa’ abruptly changes gears from an elegant, hymn-like melody to intense screaming. The majestic instrumental ‘Neptune Raining Diamonds’ is a gorgeous change of pace. Presumably to the consternation of metalheads, there are genuinely hooky and accessible tracks – ‘In Blur’ skirts surprisingly close to Brit-pop, while ‘Great Mass of Color’ only lifts into metal screaming in its concluding minute. The virtuoso rhythm section of Daniel Tracy and Chris Johnson gives these songs muscle and fluidity.

Infinite Granite is a strong record, showing Deafheaven’s credentials as a shoe-gaze band while still allowing their instrumental prowess to shine.

---

Sun-El Musician

African Electronic Dance Music

2021, 9/10
South Africa’s Sanele Sithole has been ridiculously prolific over the last few years. He’s overseen a roster of African house musicians, including Simmy, Samthing Soweto, and Azana. He disqualified himself from consideration for year-end lists last year by unleashing the 160-minute double album To The World & Beyond in December. He’s back in 2021 with the more concise African Electronic Dance Music. He’s built a distinctive sound, blending traditional African elements with electronica in a way that feels soulful rather than gimmicky.

Sun-El’s production is complemented by vocalists from his label. Simmy sings on the astoundingly gorgeous single ‘Higher’, her honeyed voice soaring over Sun-El’s textures. These tracks often unfold slowly over long running times, but there are pop hooks here. ‘Bestfriend’ impresses with a melody that keeps ascending, Msaki’s guest vocal defying gravity. The intro of ‘Ululate’ recalls Talking Head’s ‘Once in a Lifetime’ – the vocal hook could easily have become irritating, but instead it’s excellent. The instrumental songs on the back half of the record aren’t as strong as the vocal tracks – ‘Jozi (Maboneng)’ and ‘Spiritual Bomb’ run for nearly half-an-hour.

Sun-El Musician’s music is warm, spiritual, and authentic, and African Electronic Dance Music is a terrific addition to his oeuvre.

Read More

• New Music Reviews