low horizon - low horizon

Low Horizon

Low Horizon
self-released; 2013

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The two guys behind Low Horizon, John Gottlieb and Jack Hachem, have been friends for 18 years but it wasn't till they were home from college that they decided to start recording music together. They write fun, relatively light rock songs that are comparable to a band like Yo La Tengo. While writing this album they were aesthetically inspired by bands from Creation Records such as The Jesus And Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. They don't quite nail down that sound but they do a good job trying. This is mostly due in fact to the very lo-fi nature of the recording. Even a 25% percent increase in production value would have improved the quality and listening experience. Nonetheless they do have a couple of solid songs on their self-titled EP Low Horizon that manages to shine through.

Gottlieb and Hachem start off with a super catchy song called “After Party.” Jangly guitars prevail as they sing about “friends of friends.” You should be singing along in no time; if you are not singing then the vocal melody will at least be stuck in your head. There was also a pretty bitchin’ guitar solo. 

“Typo A” utilizes distorted guitars and sounds like early Pavement from the Slanted and Enchanted Era while “Rainstorm” is a short but vocally infectious song. “Atmosphere Blue” trades in their excited, child-esque vocal lines for a bit more of a stoic, melancholy affair. They pull it off and it doesn’t feel separated from the previous track on the EP. “When I'm 40, You'll be Dead” sounds even more lo-fi than the other songs on the album while “Anyone But You” is an enjoyable distorted mess. They end with “Death/Funeral,” which takes a rather grim subject and makes it feel light.

Low Horizon is fun to listen to and it seems like it would be fun to see them live. I just hope they have better production on their next release.

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