Low

Sometimes it's nice just to call a spade a spade. Low provides just that sort of truth in advertising, easily earning high marks in the "slowcore" hall of fame. Through nearly fifteen years and ten albums scattered across half a dozen labels, the band has managed to remain true to a style that makes it an acquired taste, to say the least. Favoring extremely down-tempo, sparse arrangements, Low nevertheless manages to pack epic quantities of emotion and, as strange as it may seem, rock-and-roll ballsy swagger into its sound. On its two most recent releases, the outfit even conjures some sunshiny power-pop moments — even if the pop is drowned in ten gallons of NyQuil and the power is running on backup batteries. If you're looking for something that will lift your spirits, don't go down this aisle; it's bleak, dirge-like, and far more than you bargained for. It's also far better.