so this new job has me off on thursday and friday, so with just one day off in the past 2 weeks, i’ve not been very motivated to sit in front of a computer for much longer than necessary. with that being said, the drive to and from work has afforded plenty of time to listen to some new stuff.

one of the best things i’ve heard lately is, not surprisingly, low skies. this band has been getting rave reviews on big and small sites alike, with both pitchfork and popmatters, among others, raving on about their new album all the love i could find. and sometimes, having a pile of music that i really haven’t paid the proper amount of attention to pays off when i can fish out a couple of older releases — 2003’s the bed and the 2004 ep i have been to beautiful places, both on flameshovel — to get an idea of what the fuss is about.

chris salveter’s vocals remind me a lot of what made early 80’s era bono worth listening to — remember that? remember how on the joshua tree or october, or war even how he sounded earthily desperate? that’s kind of what this reminds me of - i think it’s how his voice is kind of froggy at times, and sometimes breaks up in the wrong way at just the right time - although salveter has the ability to go jeff buckley as well, which adds a nice touch to the proceedings.

musically, this is going to fall under the slowcore stuff, and reminds me of another recently emerged band, catfish haven. although the low skies stuff is definitely based more on an overall feeling of dreariness, both bands have managed to capture the sounds of what is more or less southern rock and then reinvent it in their own mold.

flameshovel’s site has a few mp3s from all the love i could find:

low skies - levelling

low skies - you can’t help those people

and the band’s site has a few from the previous releases, as well:

low skies - betty (from 2000’s low skies ep)

low skies - should you come crawling (from 2000’s low skies ep)

low skies - down below him (from 2003’s the bed album)

low skies - palmyra (from 2003’s the bed album)

low skies - run beside the rhine (from 2003’s the bed album)

low skies - sad hymn (from 2003’s the bed album)

low skies - fives gone quiet (from 2004’s i have been to beautiful places ep)

low skies - ready to be done (from 2004’s i have been to beautiful places ep)

and they currently have a few dates lined up beginning in march. i was surprised to see two non-st louis missouri dates, but again, with the likes of catfish haven emanating from the springfield area, that one didn’t surprise me — but the warrensburg one did. warrensburg is a semi-small college town about 45 minutes east of kansas city. hopefully i can get some people out to that, as there’s nothing back in the pittsburgh area mentioned as of yet.

the dates: