I'm thinking disaster, but must admit that I'm intrigued by the choice of Dave Fridmann to produce the upcoming new Low album. Haven't heard anything from it yet but his production work with the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev and Wheat and many others seems almost like just the opposite of where Low is at musically. They've always been quiet, yet with a very dynamic production style, uncompromised by the tons of compression, distortion and other effects that Fridmann has been increasingly relying on in the last few years. Albini was just about a perfect fit, but maybe they're ready for a new sound?

So how much does the production of a record matter to you? One case in point this year is the mostly excellent new Joseph Arthur CD. I was just listening to it and thinking to myself that I'd probably even like it a lot more if it didn't sometimes sound like Hall & Oates

The production of an album is extremely important to me. I won't go into the reasons why because they are no revelation. But in terms of The Great Destroyer, after having given it its first 5 listens, I feel safe in saying that despite my dislike of certain aspects of it, I really like it overall. However, I don't know how much the production has to do with it. This is a different sound for Low - it's a pop-rock record with Low moments and Crazy Horse moments - but I don't know that it's sonically distinct like everything they did up until Trust. While the lyrics are debatably Low's worst, at times, the songwriting is endearing, and I think it prevails above whatever imprint Fridmann has left on it. This is a maturation for Low, a not altogether unexpected tangent, and they pull it off independent of those external changes that were made to it and them.

I've a lot to say about this record, but I feel bad uttering a word of it until the darn thing actually comes out.