LOWE THE VANISHING SINGLE MEGAHYPE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 24, 2003 REVIEW: DECEMBER 5, 2003

Two of the guys in Lowe have a background in one of Sweden’s most successful synthpop bands, namely Statemachine. During the work with their latest album, Jörgen Josefsson and Rickard Gunnarsson had some material they didn’t thought worked in Statemachine. Thus, together with friend Mehdi Bagherzadeh, Lowe was born. That’s not to say that it sounds radically different from Statemachine. But the most apparent similarities are to Depeche Mode and Kent. Especially the lead guitar riff in "The Vanishing" sounds like Kent indeed, and at one point in the song I was convinced that I was listening to “Never Let Me Down Again” by Depeche. I think you can spot it too.
Lowe is a bit more pop, more direct, than Statemachine these days. But actually the music lacks a memorably chorus, and the only thing that sticks in your mind is the guitar riff I wrote about earlier. The production is professional, and Jörgen has a suitable voice. But you almost get the feeling that it’s a case of appearance over substance.
Two remixes and a "B-side" fill out the single, and my favourite is the highly atmospheric “Electric Asylum Revisited” remix. It gives the title track a whole new spin, and made me do my patented jump-around-the-apartment bit.
All in all, a nice "first" effort by these seasoned musicians, but they will need to do more if they want some wider recognition.

JOHAN CARLSSON