CRITIC'S CHOICE

Low, with Soul Coughing, Friday, September 27, at the Ogden Theatre, likes to take things slow. Really slow. Imagine the Cowboy Junkies performing from the depths of the LaBrea tar pits and you'll get a rough idea of what this trio of minimalists from Duluth, Minnesota, is all about. Long Division, the group's sophomore effort for Vernon Yard Records, plods along at an exquisitely trancelike pace: "Take," "Stay" and "Streetlight" literally stop time in its tracks, transporting listeners into a state of suspended animation not unlike that experienced during REM sleep. At album's end, most will feel that they've just awakened, refreshed, from a badly needed nap. Which, in this reviewer's opinion, is an impressive feat. After all, plenty of albums put me to sleep--but not many make me feel good afterward.