Last is Low Low’s fourth and final album. When the recording sessions finished, Kelly moved to London and then onto Europe. Since the day they turned the studio lights off on their way out, the tape machines, mixing desk, amplifiers and instruments have sat gathering dust. Recording was followed by a long stretch of mixing and mastering the album over and over between day jobs. Fast forward to today, and Kelly (vocals, guitars, etc.) and Ellis (drums, guitars, studio engineering, etc.) are in the strange position of releasing an album that is now just a memory.
On Last, Kelly and Ellis purposefully set out to redress what they felt was an imbalance in the channeling of their influences. Whatever lack of confidence had forced them to tend towards recording clarity over low-fi on all of Low Low’s previous albums, this time there was no doubt from the offset - Last would be resolutely low-fi. Whereas most of the songs here were recorded on 1/2 inch tape, a suite of tracks including “Guard,” “Bedroom Window” and “A World In Ruin” were put down on C90 cassette with the optional Dolby noise reduction firmly set to OFF, bestowing these tracks with a fuzzy character, excessive tape hiss and over-compression. The brothers really began to experiment with not just what they recorded, but also how they recorded. Having built and (attempted to) soundproof a small home studio, gone were the constraints of bedroom recording.
Musically, Last is less eclectic than Low Low’s previous couple of albums, but with purpose. The constricting of the band down to two members, the fixed studio and recording on tape all helped to create a cohesive thread. Low Low don’t veer far from their habits: acoustic and electric guitars, drum kit, the occasional banjo or piano. But here, on Last, the studio is an instrument itself. On “Dandelions,” a gentle folk song is buried under the white noise and tape hiss that swallowed the closing of the previous song. On “What You Wanted Most,” a shimmering Glockenspiel riff is played through a distorted amplifier. In “Bedroom Window,” the cassette tape is overloaded with drums before a swirling crescendo of amp noise engulfs everything and just as quickly dissipates. The collection is raw and sonically ragged but nothing is lost to the cacophony.
The themes on Last reflect the happenings in Kelly’s life during recording and the finality of the sessions. The songs take us through the end of a relationship, new love, goodbyes, migration and movement. Layered on top of these themes is the realisation, during writing, that these were to be Low Low’s final songs - as on the track “A World in Ruin,” on which Kelly refers to artwork for Low Low’s second album, Ends of June, “Words hanging on telegraph wires, and a long list of failures." - a bittersweet farewell, looking back on the good and the bad that life in a band brings. It's the album's title track and closer though which offers "one last crash of all the cymbals" bringing both the album and the band their conclusion:
"I’ve got nothing left to say without sending myself off to sleep,
And it doesn’t really feel all as bad as I thought it would..."
Last is out February 16th, 2015 via Other Electricities and Audio Antihero
Believer
Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alter wasted hours I cast
Your way, your number unrounded
Is another thing
where do we stop waiting with held breath
The next thing to take me
Where do we stop waiting with held breath
On bankings, on verges, the right time is
Under the right light
the glasses in my window
Play summer on my wall
But whether it happens to everyone
Is another thing
what time is the right time to waste time and
Under the right light
What time is the right time to waste time and
Under the right light
On bankings, on verges, the right time is
Under the right light
why didn't you tell me your real name
Or take me to your real home
Where our children are unborn
But waiting to show us the river
Is another thing
where do we stop waiting with held breath
The next thing to take me
Where do we stop waiting with held breath
The next thing to take me
On bankings, on verges, the right time is
Under the right light
The lyrics of "Believer" by Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love seem to be about time and the uncertain future. The opening line, "Believer if ever you falter," suggests that the singer is addressing someone who might be going through a difficult time. The following line, "Alter wasted hours I cast," can be interpreted as a message to let go of past regrets and move forward towards a better future. The line, "Your way, your number unrounded, is another thing," implies that each individual's path is unique, and cannot be easily quantified or calculated.
The chorus, "On bankings, on verges, the right time is under the right light," suggests that timing is everything and that there is an optimal moment at which to do something. The verse, "why didn't you tell me your real name, or take me to your real home, where our children are unborn, but waiting to show us the river, is another thing," implies a sense of missed opportunities and wonder about what could have been.
Overall, the lyrics of "Believer" are ambiguous and open to multiple interpretations. They evoke a sense of melancholy and nostalgia, as well as a longing for something that may or may not be attainable.
Line by Line Meaning
Believer if ever you falter
If you ever lose faith
Alter wasted hours I cast
I can change the time we've lost
Your way, your number unrounded
Your path, your destiny is uncertain
Is another thing
But that's a separate matter
where do we stop waiting with held breath
When do we stop anxiously awaiting
The next thing to take me
The next experience to move me
On bankings, on verges, the right time is
The opportune moment could be found anywhere
Under the right light
When the timing is perfect
the glasses in my window
The lenses in my view of the world
Play summer on my wall
Evoke feelings of warmth and happiness
But whether it happens to everyone
Whether everyone experiences this feeling
Is another thing
Is a separate matter
what time is the right time to waste time and
When is it okay to take a break and do nothing
Under the right light
When the timing is perfect
What time is the right time to waste time and
When can we just relax and enjoy ourselves
Under the right light
When the timing is perfect
why didn't you tell me your real name
Why did you keep your identity hidden
Or take me to your real home
Or invite me into your personal life
Where our children are unborn
Where our potential future lies
But waiting to show us the river
Ready for us to experience life's journey
Is another thing
Is something else entirely
where do we stop waiting with held breath
When do we stop anxiously awaiting
The next thing to take me
The next experience to move me
Where do we stop waiting with held breath
When can we finally relax and just live
On bankings, on verges, the right time is
The perfect time will come unexpectedly
Under the right light
When life aligns perfectly
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BERNARD EDWARDS, NILE RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind