A three-song prelude to "Things We Lost in the Fire" -- Low's upcoming full-length album -- "Dinosaur Act" shows Duluth's finest taking their burgeoning pop sensibilities out for a brisk winter stroll. The title track rings out with all the anthemic majesty of their classic song "Starfire" from last year's brilliant SECRET NAME. Vivid lyrics like "And after expenses and pulling up fences / No more airplanes / And putting your foot down / The nail shot up like a bright red snowflake..." show just how far Low has come from their austere beginnings, while its absurdly catchy refrain will ring in your ears down through the years almost like a Stephin Merritt lyric. The other two tracks are equally engaging, though in utterly different ways. "Overhead" is a tense excursion into an early-80s Factory Records realm; its quietly embittered lyric is coupled with a angular chant-like melody and cycling swirls of delay-pedal fun. The last cut, "Don't Carry It All" -- with its singalong chorus, rich intuitive harmonies and revival-tent tambourine -- would not be out of place on the first Paul McCartney solo album, c. 1971. Some less progressive long-time fans may be left behind in the wake of Low's new sound -- here augmented by piano, flute and trumpet -- but Low has never made it easy for us anyway.

-ld beghtol

Dinosaur Act on Amazon.com