The latest episode of Studio 360 celebrates the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, including word from The Low Anthem's Ben Knox Miller on the origin of the title of the band's Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin. The Rough Trade staff puts the album at No. 2 of the year's best, calling it "essential." After the band's show in London last week, Uncut calls it "the year's breakout album," not least for its "supernaturally beautiful title track."
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, PRI's Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen has devoted its latest episode to the man and his work. On the show, The Low Anthem's Ben Knox Miller explains the origin of the title of his band's Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, conceived outside the giraffe pen at a zoo in their home state of Rhode Island. You can listen to Ben's explanation and the complete episode at studio360.org.
Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is listed as the No. 2 Album of the Year on the Rough Trade Shops Staff Charts, which insists the album is "surely destined to be one of the classic American albums of all time with its combination of sublime vocals and Waits / Beefheart style instrumentation. Essential."
The band made its television debut Friday night on the season finale of the famed British performance series Later ... with Jools Holland. You can find the band's performance of "To Ohio," from Friday's broadcast on YouTube. You can catch the soundcheck from show, in which the trio performs "Charlie Darwin," at bbc.co.uk/later.
While in London for the taping last week, The Low Anthem performed with Joe Pug at The Tabernacle. Uncut editor Allan Jones describes Oh My God, Charlie Darwin as "this year's breakout album" and the band's music as "largely hushed, unhurried, mesmerising and quietly delirious," not least "the album’s supernaturally beautiful title track."
While such descriptions may give the wrong impression of the band as overly serious, "They are, of course, nothing of the sort, Jones insists. "There’s a lot of wry humour about what they do," of which The Tabernacle set was proof.
Responding to an audience member's exuberant shout of adulation for the band ("What a band. What a fucking band!"), Jones concludes, "He had a point. Book your tickets now for next February’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire and see you there."
Read the concert review at uncut.co.uk.
After a weekend in the Netherlands for two performances at the Crossing Border festival, the band is back in London to open David Gray's Little Noise Session at Union Chapel. Next week, it's back to the States for a string of dates with Josh Ritter. For more information, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
- Log in to post comments
