4 out of 5

Label: Stinky Records

Produced by: Jeffrey Saltzman, Low Flying Owls

LFO (yes, unfortunate abbreviation) is one of those RIYL groups that each time you listen to them you wonder why they weren’t the Next Big Thing.  …And really, it’s probably just because they didn’t catch their break.  Most it-bands earn some cred and then get noticed; in the early 00’s, we had a slew of those New Yorky and Chicagoy groups doing variations on different versions of 70s rock, and unfortunately, though YOU might’ve loved band B, most people heard band A first, and so when you play your favorite Band B mix at so-and-sos house warming, the conversation quickly veers toward band A.  Low Flying Owls spring, perhaps, from the low-key indie rock of the Sonic Youth school, but spun through a bluesy vibe that the Allmusic review for this album rightfully compares to BRMC or Spiritualized.  There is a unique identity here, though, and it’s quite a fun one, one that I’d argue is longer lasting than most of those Band A’s, as LFO sticks to their own hazy, weird world, even though that might’ve prevented them from producing that break-making single.  Put ‘Elixir Vitae’ on, and there’s no way (assuming you’re down with bluesy rock) you won’t be swaggering to opener ‘Glad to Be Alive’ or its groovy followup ‘Swingin’ Sam.’  Things get… disco… on the five minute creatively named ‘Babies Made,’ which on the one hand is an indulgence that slows things down, but on the other hand does expose the group as more stylistically open and accomplished than their peers of the time.  While some tracks do come across as overly simplistic, repeating only line line and one head-bobbing guitar riff, the more swoony design of the latter half of the disc – highlights ‘Georgie Shot Johnnie’ and the wonderfully mysterious closer ‘The Last Day on the Planet’ – is a positive sequencing choice that keeps the disc sounding fresh throughout.

I was lucky enough to nab LFO’s first EP and album as promos, which definitely highlighted their riffability, and thus I was the Band B-playin’ sap this time around when ‘Elixir’ came out, trying to catch people’s ears with what I felt was a pretty accomplished disc.  A decade on, I’m still listening to it, still tapping my toe.  And, like, increasing sales with this review, ’cause I give back.