Low vs Diamond – Low vs Diamond

Low vs Diamond’s debut and self-titled LP has been generating much buzz amongst the mainstream music industry. With the album’s release the band was being hailed as the next Killers. They are signed with Epic, and were placed in Rolling Stone’s “One of six acts who are defining rock and pop in 2008” as well as one of iTunes’s “Next Big Thing” artists. They’ve played Leno and Letterman, and even had a song in a One Tree Hill episode. The hype that surrounds the band is hard to avoid, and has a tendency to obscure a straightforward approach to the music. When looked at closely, it is clear that they are a band still developing a style, and their music has not had a true chance to live up to the expectations that surround it.

The band’s anthemic sound has been compared to the likes of U2 the Cure, and Roxy music – associations that give a good sense of their potential depth. There is no doubt that they bring something unique to the tradition of anthemic rock. Howie Diamond’s muscular yet thoughtful drumming is contrasted well with Field’s vocals, which range from whisper to falsetto scream. Anthony Polcino’s guitar work is deceivingly straightforward, and understatedly adds much depth to the music. The band’s overall sound takes root in a melancholy feeling that only occasionally bubbles to the surface.

The initial track, “Don’t Forget Sister” is undoubtedly engulfing. The song is grounded by a heavy bass drum and strong ringing piano chords. The music expands upon this solid base perfectly as the singing departs from its initial nonchalance and becomes as desperate as the song’s theme. The first chorus holds back the inevitable crashing wave of the music as Field says, “And she said, “Don’t forget sister/ You should always be true/ You come from a good home/ I won’t forget you.” After this the music hits another tier, and gains in urgency. After the second chorus, the sound is released, and the band’s full potential is exposed. Diamond unabashedly hits cymbals with quick snare fills, and the electric guitar is hammered as Field earnestly shouts, “Sister take me away with you!” before going into a melancholy melody scream-hummed in falsetto.

“Don’t Forget Sister” was written last for the album and interestingly appears first. It seems as if the band could have benefited from more choice of songs to place on the final album. The first track is so exceptional, that the album almost immediately fizzles into mediocrity. “Killer B” offers a lazy approach to the worn out topic of infatuation. Despite a stinging guitar part, it is hard to take the line, “Now you’re in my head/ And I can’t see/ Killer B,” seriously. “Heart Attack” which is the albums first single, offers a faint glimmer of the band’s potential, as the beating heart’s anxiousness melts into a nice melodic chorus that is sung with the bittersweet words: “And we try and act surprised/ As we watch the world end.”

Other songs such as “Actions Are Actions” descend also immediately upon a pretty piano part, and then pull back to expose a more tender side to the songwriting. However, the tune proves to be too muddled to expose the song’s pristine potential. This sentiment is perhaps best exhibited in the closing track, “I’ll Be,” which is an obvious closer in that it manages to balance hope and catastrophe.

These rock anthems come from a very melancholy and interesting center that remains unexplored by the album’s end. Despite well-refined pop hooks and dramatic swells, it is apparent that the album fall’s short of the band’s full potential. One hopes that Low vs Diamond have not been discovered before being allowed the chance to discover a truly unique voice.

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