Remember when Low used to make hauntingly beautiful music enriched with a sense of wistful sadness and gorgeous harmonies? Well, Coastal does, and they liked that a lot. In fact, they liked it so much that they wrapped every single song on their second album with as many Low-isms as possible. The hushed male/female harmonies, the simplistic guitar lines, the brushed ride cymbal and snare—it's all there. The problem lies in the fact that the songs aren't nearly as inspired, the vocals are flat and emotive, and the instrumentation shows absolutely no experimentation or innovation. In other words, Coastal is a Low tribute band without actually doing any covers.
A friend of mine and I used to talk about what makes a good band. We came to the conclusion that a good band can't be summed up by simply one influence. It takes a mixture of sounds and styles to form something worthwhile. While you may not agree with this, I'm sure that one listen to Halfway to You would prove my point.
Seriously though, rather than checking to see if I'm right, just go listen to Long Division or something.
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