By: Faetra Petillo
Rating: 7/11

Lowry is one of those bands that act as a breath of fresh air in a scene that can, at times, feel overly heated and stuffy. They reach for the sky and try to encompass it all, and with five very talented hands on deck, they actually manage to do so. The group, which has undergone several transformations before signing with Engine Room Recordings in 2008, sounds like a perfect marriage between a classic jam band and an edgy punk band. In a time where most musicians like to think of themselves as 'experimental,' Lowry actually walks the walk. While their sophomore album Love is Dead can teeter on the edge of tedium at times, it propels itself forward with a solid effort littered with breathtaking musical gems.

Take, for instance, a track like "The Road You Left On," where Heidi Sidelinker sings lead vocals backed by Alex Lowry with sad and soothing results over instrumentals mixing folky ballad with modern electronica. Other songs, like "Whisky," are downright epic in the best sense of the word. The song literally transforms itself four times throughout its six-minute duration, to the point where you have to look down and double check to make sure the album didn’t suddenly skipped ahead to an entirely different song. Then there’s a song like "One Thing" that, while a little more generic sounding, provides a power pop melodic balance against the rest of the album, which is whimsically innovative.

On the downside, with an album so diverse it really becomes clear what works and what doesn't. While Alex Lowry has a great leading voice (that happens to sound frighteningly similar to Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian fame) he is best when backed by Sidelinker. And while stripped and bare tracks like "Down" certainly have their merit, the band shines on things like "Whisky" that really encompass all they can do. The slow moving ballad becomes a little overused and at times makes the listener crave a bit of a beat to dance along to. Or at least something in a major key. While Love is Dead has highs and lows like a wave, the highs are shocking and interesting enough to endure the lows and keep people coming back for more. Lowry is different, and in a sea of carbon copies, different puts you on the map.