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
Black Black Window
Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh were you leaning
For this way
Into the evening
Open eye in
Every head here
And still nothing to see
I mean
(i might just get off here)
Run through these doors
In houses that move round us again
We're out of place here and hardly lived in
Next time you call around
Try not to knock too loud
Just come right in
Love
If there's nothing to see
Then there's nothing wrong
It's not where you belong
It's how you deceive
Yourself to think this way
Pretend it's a holiday
It's over someday
With my mouth on her shoulder
And my teeth in my lip
I want more than it
Fortune puts my way
The song "Black Black Window" by Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love talks about someone feeling out of place and disconnected from the world around them. The repetition of "black, black, window" at the beginning of the song sets the tone for the atmosphere that the lyrics create. The image of a window suggests that the singer is an outsider looking in, observing what's happening around them without being able to fully participate. The phrase "were you leaning for this way" could be interpreted in a few ways - perhaps the singer is hoping for a sign or a way out, or maybe they feel like they're being pulled towards something they don't quite understand.
The line "there's at least one open eye in every head here" contrasts with the idea that there's "nothing to see", hinting at a sense of surveillance and scrutiny that's making the singer feel even more uncomfortable. The repetition of "I mean" suggests that the singer is trying to rationalize their feelings, but they can't quite put their finger on what's wrong. They consider leaving ("i might just get off here"), but they're not sure where to go - the houses around them seem to be "moving" and they don't feel like they belong anywhere.
The final lines of the song are particularly haunting: "With my mouth on her shoulder/ And my teeth in my lip/ I want more than it/ Fortune puts my way." The reference to physical contact is jarring in the context of the rest of the song, and it's unclear who "her" is - perhaps a lover, or a larger sense of humanity. The desire for more than what fortune has dealt the singer suggests a sense of frustration and ennui that underlies the song's exploration of disconnectedness and alienation.
Line by Line Meaning
Black, black, window
The dark window symbolizes the uncertainty and ambiguity of the situation or surroundings.
Oh were you leaning
The singer is asking if the person is interested or invested in this situation or place.
For this way
The person might have chosen to come this way or enter this situation consciously or subconsciously.
Into the evening
The artist is describing the timing of the situation as it is happening in the evening or in the later part of the day when things are less clear or more uncertain.
There's at least one
There is one person here who is not completely oblivious to the situation or isn't completely ignorant about it.
Open eye in
This person is observant or not blind to what is happening around them.
Every head here
The singer is referring to the people present in the situation or surroundings.
And still nothing to see
Despite the fact that they are present, nothing significant or enlightening is happening in their surroundings.
I mean
The artist is emphasizing their previous statement or clarifying it further.
Run through these doors
The artist is suggesting that they might want to escape or leave the place as quickly as possible.
In houses that move round us again
Despite being in different houses, the singer feels like they are constantly moving in circles or repeating the same unfulfilling patterns.
We're out of place here and hardly lived in
The artist feels like they don't belong in this situation or surroundings and that they have barely experienced, understood or lived in them.
Next time you call around
The singer is addressing someone whom they expect to visit them again.
Try not to knock too loud
The singer is implying that they don't want to attract too much attention or disturb their peace while visiting.
Just come right in
The singer is implying that the next time the person visits, they are welcome to enter unannounced or without too much fuss.
Love
The artist ends the verse with the word 'Love' as if to express a sentiment that is important or meaningful to them.
If there's nothing to see
The artist questions the value or worth of their current situation or surroundings.
Then there's nothing wrong
The singer rationalizes that if there is nothing worth seeing, then there is nothing inherently wrong with their situation or surroundings.
It's not where you belong
The singer implies that they might not belong in their current situation or surroundings.
It's how you deceive
The artist suggests that they might have deceived themselves or let themselves be deceived into thinking they belong in their current situation or surroundings.
Yourself to think this way
The artist is referring to the way the person has been thinking or the perceptions they have developed regarding their situation.
Pretend it's a holiday
The artist suggests that they might be pretending or escaping reality by treating their situation like a vacation or a break from normal life.
It's over someday
The singer acknowledges that their situation or surroundings won't last forever.
With my mouth on her shoulder
The artist switches to first-person point of view and implies they are physically intimate with a female partner or significant other.
And my teeth in my lip
The singer is clenching their teeth and holding back emotions or pain while being physically close to their partner.
I want more than it
Despite being intimate with their partner, the singer feels unfulfilled or unsatisfied in their current situation in life.
Fortune puts my way
The singer is suggesting that their fortunes or destiny might take them somewhere else or that they might encounter luck or success in the future.
Contributed by Jayden E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.