On their 2009 release, OH MY GOD, CHARLIE DARWIN, Providence’s the Low Anthem play delicate, meticulously constructed roots songs built on a comfortably worn folk template and featuring haunting vocal harmonies. The album’s basic folk-rock structure is a familiar one, but sepia-toned songs such as “Ohio” and “Don’t Tremble” still emanate a bittersweet truth. OMGCD is by and large a tranquil affair, but there are a few rave-ups (the firey, clanging “The Horizon is a Beltway” for one) thrown in for good measure. In the end, the Low Anthem’s brand of Americana, not unlike that of M. Ward, offers nostalgic sentimentality held in check by a brilliant sense of craftsmanship. It’s a delicate yet highly rewarding balance.

Tracklisting
1. Charlie Darwin
2. To Ohio
3. Ticket Taker
4. Horizon Is A Beltway
5. Home I’ll Never Be
6. Cage The Songbird
7. (Don’t) Tremble
8. Music Box
9. Champion Angel
10. To The Ghosts Who Write History Books
11. Omgcd
12. To Ohio (Reprise)

Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (p.78) – 3 stars out of 5 — “[Songs] like the ‘Cage the Songbird’ are comfort-food folk, and uptempo tracks like the raucous, Pogues-y singalong ‘The Horizon Is a Beltway’ are even better.”

Q (Magazine) (p.125) – 4 stars out of 5 — “The Low Anthem employ affecting harmonies, earthy blues, folk instrumentation and high levels of imaginative sympathy…”

Paste (magazine) (p.55) – “The Low Anthem is at its best composing songs fit for a hipster orchestra, with Knox’s delicate vocals backed by an assortment of quirky instrumentation….These 12 songs are exquisite.”