The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depth of the Sea

Sometimes the answer is home. Back in the early 2000s, The Low Anthem made a quick climb to indie-folk prominence, and by 2012 it felt depleted and disenchanted with the grind. As a result, the members went back to their home in Providence, R.I., to rebuild, both metaphorically and physically. The band poured energy into new sounds in its newly built recording studio and into the community with a new vaudevillian theater. Their style veered into the experimental record Eyeland, and now their newest finds a balance between their earlier folk approach and ripples of synthy experimentation. Songs like “Toowee Toowee” ride the smoothest minimalist folk line with the smallest gurgling electric undertones, widened toward the end by breezy chimes. These songs feel tucked into themselves, partially from vocalist Ben Knox Miller’s whispery delivery, especially on songs like “Gondwanaland,” where his voice sits up close over a dreamy sonic palette. Listen to these songs up close or you’ll miss out on most of their charm.