Ones and Sixes is the eleventh studio album by Low, released on September 11, 2015.[1] It was co-produced by the band and engineer BJ Burton, at Justin Vernon's April Base Studios in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.[1] Sub Pop released a promotional video for 'No Comprende' in advance of the album's release, on June 23, 2015.[14] The album also features contributions from Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche.[15] The album artwork was created by artist Peter Liversidge.[16] The album's lyrics were nominated for an AML Award.[17]

Ones and Sixes
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 11, 2015 (2015-09-11)
StudioApril Base Studios (Eau Claire, Wisconsin)[1]
GenreSlowcore, noise[2]
Length57:02
LabelSub Pop
Producer
Low chronology
The Invisible Way
(2013)
Ones and Sixes
(2015)
Double Negative
(2018)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[3]
Metacritic78/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The A.V. ClubB[6]
The Guardian[2]
Mojo[7]
NME7/10[8]
The Observer[9]
Pitchfork7.8/10[10]
Q[11]
Rolling Stone[12]
Spin8/10[13]

Composition edit

Musically, a shift made itself evident to critics reviewing Ones and Sixes, reaping generally positive assessments. While its predecessor The Invisible Way saw Jeff Tweedy of Wilco handling the production duties, Ones and Sixes would feature Bon Iver associate B.J. Burton producing alongside Low for the first time. He went on to produce their albums Double Negative and Hey What.

The change in technical personnel would result in the trio's sound being "pushed, pulled and wrangled out of shape to devastating effect,"[2] "striking a balance between their majestic, slow-moving melancholy and harsher experimental noise."[18]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Low

No.TitleLength
1."Gentle"5:06
2."No Comprende"4:59
3."Spanish Translation"4:17
4."Congregation"3:51
5."No End"2:49
6."Into You"3:57
7."What Part of Me"3:08
8."The Innocents"4:22
9."Kid in the Corner"4:32
10."Lies"4:15
11."Landslide"9:50
12."DJ"5:56

Charts edit

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 60
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] 65
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 34
French Albums (SNEP)[22] 115
Irish Albums (IRMA)[23] 45
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 35
US Billboard 200[25] 158

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Low - Ones and Sixes - Sub Pop Mega Mart". Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Hutchinson, Kate (September 10, 2015). "Low: Ones and Sixes review – icy ambience and beautiful gloom". The Guardian. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  3. ^ "Ones and Sixes by Low reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  4. ^ "Reviews for Ones and Sixes by Low". Metacritic. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  5. ^ Deming, Mark. "Ones and Sixes – Low". AllMusic. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  6. ^ McLevy, Alex (September 11, 2015). "Low's new album is a one-trick pony, but it's a pretty good trick". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  7. ^ Barnes, Mike (September 11, 2015). "Low – Ones And Sixes". Mojo. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  8. ^ Gardner, Noel (September 10, 2015). "Low – 'Ones And Sixes'". NME. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  9. ^ Empire, Kitty (September 13, 2015). "Low: Ones and Sixes review – an ear-pricking listen". The Observer. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  10. ^ Reiff, Corbin (September 14, 2015). "Low: Ones and Sixes". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  11. ^ "Low: Ones and Sixes". Q (351): 111. October 2015.
  12. ^ Grow, Kory (September 11, 2015). "Ones and Sixes". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  13. ^ Brown, Harley (September 11, 2015). "Review: Low Climb Ever Higher on 'Ones and Sixes'". Spin. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  14. ^ "Low - No Comprende (not the video)". youtube.com. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  15. ^ "Low Announce New Album Ones and Sixes, Share "No Comprende"". Pitchfork. June 23, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  16. ^ "Low - Ones and Sixes". Discogs. September 11, 2015. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  17. ^ Hall, Andrew (February 4, 2016). "2015 AML Awards Finalists #4: Lyrics, Picture Book, and Poetry". Dawning of a Brighter Day. Association for Mormon Letters. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  18. ^ "Low - Ones and Sixes | Clash Magazine". clashmusic.com. September 7, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  19. ^ "Ultratop.be – Low – Ones and Sixes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Low – Ones and Sixes" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  21. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Low – Ones and Sixes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  22. ^ "Lescharts.com – Low – Ones and Sixes". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  23. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 38, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  25. ^ "Low Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 22, 2015.