Album: Oh My God, Charlie Darwin
Artist: The Low Anthem
Label: Bella Union / Nonesuch Records
Release date: 9th June 2009 (reissue)
Listen to the album in Spotify
The USA’s rich heritage of folk and roots music has undergone a renaissance in recent years, and today we find a superb new addition to the lexicon of great American folk albums. Rhode Island three-piece The Low Anthem originally released their second album, the charmingly-titled Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, in September 2008, receiving considerable acclaim from the indie press. Now, after being picked up by Nonesuch Records, the album is being re-released worldwide.
Opening track “Charlie Darwin” turns out to be one of the highlights of the record, with a beautiful vocal line and superb folk melody. In these times, there’s a resonance to a line like “Who can heed the words of Charlie Darwin / Fighting for a system built to fail.” Later, the weary-traveller blues of “The Horizon Is A Beltway” bring the band to new, foot-stomping heights, while “Champion Angel” has a jagged guitar riff that’s pure Americana.
With the mournful vocals of William Fitzsimmons and the instrumental prowess of Iron & Wine, The Low Anthem pursue a complex and evocative style, honing the blend of folk and blues that personified their debut, What The Crow Brings (also, incidentally, a very good album). The result is ten tracks of shimmering acoustic sound, with a wealth of thoughtful songwriting and subtle instrumentation that make the album a bittersweet pleasure.
Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is a very special album, made by a trio of hugely talented musicians. It will stop you in your tracks and give you pause for thought. And, if you let it, it will both break your heart and give you hope again.
Our Arbitrary Numerical Verdict:
Editor’s note: For the sake of disclosure, we should explain: we never got around to publishing this review at the time of release. This review was eventually published on 13th August, and back-dated to free up space for more current material on the front-page. This categorically has no bearing on how the album was reviewed, or the score it was given.
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Marcus Kernohan is the founder and editor-in-chief of Stereokill.net. Email him at 
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