LOW FREQUENCY IN STEREO

“ a terrific band with a terrible name.. There's more than a bit of Mogwai in them, but they're much happier to mess with their own formulas” Douglas Wolk, Seattle Weekly - Seattle Weekly

Low Frequency in Stereo

The Drink, Thursday, March 17

Norway has gained a reputation for its death metal exports, and bands like Turbonegro have revealed its glam metal side, but the hipster contingent has always been hiding in the smoky clubs, worshipping the Jesus & Mary Chain and quietly looking cooler than us while doing it. Enter Low Frequency in Stereo, a dapper quartet from Haugesund, Norway. Their latest album, Travelling Ants Got Eaten by Moskus, is space rock distilled into a lo-fi beat-driven sound. Live, that sound is bigger than Oslo. The songs are largely instrumental, save for one rollicking Cure-esque number sung by keyboardist Hanne Andersen. Genres are devoured and discarded as guitarist Per Plambech Hansen roams from surf licks to jangly distortion to metal riffage to psychedelic jam-outs. The rhythm section of drummer Orjan Holand and bassist Per Steinar Lie wrestle with aplomb, trading low-end like it's the plague and letting their sound nearly fall into the abyss before reeling it back in. What's intriguing about LFIS is that they create a soundtrack even without vocals; songs unravel and congeal, sweeping from building crescendos to 4/4 disco to Floydian droning. It's a visceral affair for these Norwegians, and it's also really loud. They wear it well. - Austin Chronical

One of the hallmarks of a great band is the ability to sound diverse, yet retain a clear, recognizable musical identity. The Low Frequency In Stereo have that ability in spades. Travelling Ants proves the point by effortlessly shifting between fast-paced rockers, mid-tempo jams, and slower ambient excursions -- all the while maintaining a consistent approach. The band creates a persistent "sound" throughout the album -- the deliberately harsh production uses abrasive guitar tones and distorted drumbeats to create a comprehensible atmospheric texture. This, in turn, enhances the band's ability to successfully synthesize a number of seemingly disparate influences.

Travelling Ants primarily consists of well-constructed instrumental pieces, but the band's use of vocals on selected tracks adds more depth to their songs and increases the album's overall impact. Brisk opener "Man Don't Walk" sounds like a caffeine-fueled, Albini-produced VU song, with vocals that sound a lot like Kazu from Blonde Redhead. Along similar lines, the heavily distorted "Limousine" creates a raucous atmosphere that recalls Spiritualized's noisier moments. The use of vocals on these tracks breaks up the record's pace and makes repeat spins more rewarding.

That said, many of the instrumental compositions are so undeniably solid that vocals aren't even needed. "Astro Kopp"'s engrossing dub-funk demonstrates the band's knack for locking into a dense groove; they keep the rhythm so catchy that the song sounds like a post-rock interpretation of the Meters. "Element", the album's jazziest cut, sounds like what might happen if an amped-up Tortoise were to cover Brubeck's "Take Five". Although the tune itself is a bit too similar to that jazz classic, it fits in nicely with the album's fluctuating vibe.

Overall, the Low Frequency In Stereo have enough musical panache to impress listeners without relying on vocals at all, but when they choose to incorporate them, Travelling Ants' songs gain additional de - SPLENDID