by John Diliberto 11/1/2022
I was saddened to hear that Ryan Karazija who recorded as Low Roar has left the planet. He was only 40 years old. Ryan was one of the founders of The Auydrye Sessions, an alternative rock band from San Francisco. But he moved to Iceland in 2010 and something in that Nordic nation’s air, probably the same thing imbibed by Sigur Ros, Olafur Arnalds and Johan Johannsson crept into his music. Karaziya’s debut as Low Roar is a haunting mix of electronic ambiences, acoustic folk and shoegaze moods. Much of it sounds like it was written in a monastery which may have been his psychological mood when he moved to Iceland in late 2010. He had moved there for love, marrying an Icelandic woman. The marriage didn’t last and he wrote about that on his album, “0“. But Ryan remained in Iceland with his band and released 3 more albums, Once In a Long, Long While, ross and Maybe Tomorrow. The band’s music was used in the 2019 video game, Death Standing.
I loved the music of Low Roar. When Echoes started playing more vocal music a decade ago, Low Roar fit right in with our ethos, creating heartbreaking songs bathed in ambience. It was a strangely quaint sound. Among Ryan’s garage band noises, synthesizer moods, and loops, he also used acoustic guitar and harmonium. Combined with Ryan’s hushed, vulnerable delivery, Low Roar has the feel of an intimate, albeit slightly stoned parlor concert. Low Roar played live on the show twice and appeared on our 18th Living Room Concert compilation, Tangents.
Ryan Karazija, born in 1982 and gave his final sound on October 30, 2022, dying from complications of pneumonia. His last album as Low Roar was Maybe Tomorrow, released in 2021. A new Low Roar album was in the works and it’s been stated by the band that it will be completed.
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So sad to hear the news. So young. RIP. Your music will be with us for ever.
Life can be so short but full of talent. Ryan was gracious enough to share his talents with the world and we are forever blessed by his songs.
I was such a new fan (yes I discovered him via Death Stranding), that even these small details about his life are wonderful to read, as I knew so little about him despite loving his music. It felt like my journey with his music had just begun, and then he’s gone just like that. But over the three-ish years I’ve listened to Low Roar, Ryan’s music buried itself deep within my heart. I don’t think I’ve had this strong a reaction to anyone’s death in a long time, let alone someone I don’t personally know. Thanks for the writeup. It doesn’t seem his passing got noticed by too many publications which is unfortunate.
Thank you. Low Roar really wasn’t well known, but I agree, he should’ve been.