The Low Anthem's Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, was released this week. Rolling Stone places it among "the year's best indie records." The Independent calls it "fascinating" and its opening tune "a gorgeous, fragile piece of work." The Guardian concurs, giving the album four stars and stating: "On the beautiful opener, 'Charlie Darwin,' and the startling 'To Ohio, the Low Anthem evoke a hushed, ethereal transcendence similar to the Cowboy Junkies' The Trinity Session. These are magical songs laden with imagery and poignancy." You can hear a live performance of "Ticket Taker" and a chat with the band on the latest New York Times "Music Popcast."

The Low Anthem's Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, is out today. The album receives a Paste rating of 90 and is described in the review as "gorgeous chamber folk," another step in "the evolution of folk music ... following the path cleared by Nick Drake and Tim Buckley." Paste concludes: "[T]hese 12 songs are exquisite." The Boston Phoenix hears ties to Tom Waits's Mule Variations in this "excellent" new record, "moving gently among sepia-toned arrangements of pump organs and clarinets and gruff barnyard blues."

The Low Anthem's Nonesuch debut, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, is set for release tomorrow. The album's first track, "Charlie Darwin," opens this week's episode of NPR's All Songs Considered. "If you listen to just one song today," insists the show's host, Bob Boilen, "make it this opening track to the new CD by The Low Anthem. It all starts off with a sound that at times feels Gospel and then at the very same time feels agnostic. Those two ideas seem at odds with one another, but then the title of the record's called Oh My God, Charlie Darwin."

The Low Anthem joins an all–Rhode Islander line-up for a hometown gig at Providence's Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel tonight, with touring partner Elvis Perkins in Dearland and Deer Tick. The Providence Journal writes that all three bands "have all spent significant time in the Ocean State, and they’re all riding a wave of critical and professional success. Of the three, The Low Anthem may have the most to brag about," after being "a hit at last month’s SXSW conference" and signing to Nonesuch. MOJO has booked the band for a special set in London and writes, "Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, with its meld of lush Americana and blues stompers, is already set to be one of the key new releases of 2009."

After The Low Anthem's performance with Ray LaMontagne at The Egg in Albany, New York, Monday night, the Albany Times Union described the band's music as "spare" and "magical," exuding charm in "a hushed, hypnotic way." The Low Anthem helped celebrate the 25th anniversary of West Virginia public broadcasting's Mountain Stage in a special concert last December, now streaming online. "All of them play various instruments," says the show's host, Larry Groce. "They play very subtle music, very quiet, very thoughtful, very interesting tunes."

Nonesuch Records is pleased to announce the signing of Rhode Island–based trio The Low Anthem. Later this spring, the label will release an updated version of the band’s album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, which had a limited but critically praised independent release late last year. Rolling Stone says the music on Charlie Darwin feels “homemade” and “solemnly beautiful,” and NPR Music called the song “To Ohio” a “tender stunner” in choosing it as a Song of the Day, saying, “At times languid and haunting, but with detours into Tom Waits-esque stomping and hollering, The Low Anthem’s music seems equally informed by Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, The Band and a late-night ride home in Joni Mitchell’s car.”