Low: Classic or classic?

which album do I listen to right now if I've never heard any of them before? quick!

I think The Great Destroyer is very accessible, so that may be a good entry point. But I guess Things We Lost In The Fire might be a more representative disc.

A handful of songs on the new disc (called Drums and Guns) are also an excellent introduction to the band. Try, for example, this killer (no pun intended) version of Murderer, from a live, in-studio performance last year.

Things We Lost in the Fire is a great introduction. I'd also recommend Secret Name, which was my intro, also very good.

Things We Lost in the Fire, definitely. Worked for me at least, from the first chord change.

Anyone see that film about Low that's now showing on Pitchfork.tv? It's called You Might Need A Murderer. I didn't know how troubled Alan Spearhawk was. Semi-boring film, but a totally compelling band.

Oh it's on Pitchfork.tv? Sweet, I saw it in the local record store today and passed on it ($20 brand new) but i'll totally watch it for free. One of my all time favorite bands, love these guys.

npr interview with the sparhawks a while ago that touched on his issues

Catch it now, Stephen. It's the "One Week Only" feature on Pitchfork.tv.

That NPR interview is fascinating. Sparhawk dances around his problems some, but this is the first time I've heard he was suicidal.

Thanks Daniel, I'll be sure to check it out Sunday morning when i get up :D

Retribution Gospel Choir (Alan's new, catchier, LOUD, rock band) played a sparsely attended show in Montreal on Friday that was fucking amazing. PLayed their hearts out for we seated folk, left my ears so happily ringing. Was sad to see him loading up the van alone in the street afterward (last time I saw Low it was at ATP with another 1000 people). If Retribution Gospel Choir come to chez toi, go go go. terrific.

Low have subtley crept, over the course of about ten years, into the position of being my favorite existing band.

"subtly"

Some good discussion on this thread, methinks.

Retribution Gospel Choir (Alan's new, catchier, LOUD, rock band) played a sparsely attended show in Montreal on Friday that was fucking amazing.

ARGH I was on the list for this but couldn't go, damn you, job.

I've seen them 7-8 times since 1997 and have observed as the venue/audience size has grown in tandem with the expanse of the band's dynamic (louder choruses, distortion pedals and such). The songs from their last few records are perfectly suited to the mid-size theatres they play these days. But my favorite gigs were one in the mid-to-late 90's, when they would come through the Ann Arbor/Detroit area quite regularly and play at little hole-in-the-wall spots: The (small) audience would generally sit on the floor and remain dead silent until the band finished playing (save for the occasional applause). There was a communal reverence, churchlike almost, unlike anything else I've experienced at rock gigs (even a "seated" Yo La Tengo show from their And Then Nothing.. tour, in which the band/venue provided the audience with folding chairs, didn't come close). It was a beautiful thing to be a part of, really.

I totally get that. I'm sure you'd agree, though, that they deserve all the additional attention -- and higher audience attendance at shows -- that they now get. I'm with you: Low has become one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, band of the moment.

I'll third that. Best band going today.

i saw RGC a few years back with Kozelek and they were alright but the drummer was really stiff; if it's the same guy I'm sure they've loosened up a bit. I'm assuming Kozelek isn't on this tour.

the best thing they played though was a crazy ass cover of "the carpet crawlers"

I'm sure you'd agree, though, that they deserve all the additional attention -- and higher audience attendance at shows

Yeah, it has actually been very rewarding to watch a humble little band like Low build and expand their aesthetic over the years, and at the same time gain popularity because of the sheer quality of their art. Even thought I have those fond memories of tiny quiet shows, I have no problem sharing Low with The World.

Strictly in terms of popularity, though, I know Low is bigger in Europe than The States, at least circa early-2000s. Was it that way in the mid-to-late 90's too? I'd been used to Low concerts being generally as described above. But then, in 2000, I moved to Dublin for college and twice saw Low in sold-out concerts at The Olympia, a fairly large theatre (fantastic shows both, one with cello!).

"thought" = though

stop all the clocks, quieten all the whisperings about low's republican tendencies:

low are playing an obama benefit somewhere.

they're also doing christmas shows in the uk, in november.

I had only heard about teh one show. Is it definitely shows plural?

yeh, manchester ('uni' i think, which i guess is hop & grape/academy three?) and oran mor glasgow. there's a churchy bit to oran mor, although i guess it's more likely they'll be downstairs.

I'm going to the London one - it's at Koko.

So I've just heard something bizarre about how Alan S. threw a guitar at his audience at a Saturday show in the UK?

Drowned in Sound thread with details:

http://drownedinsound.com/articles/4020122

^^ shit's wack

and yeah, classic. particularly the very early stuff, which stylistically i prefer a whole lot to the recent stuff, which tends to be a little too comfortable and prosaic for my liking

Buncha fuckin Helen Lovejoys on that DiS thread non-shocker

this is all very sad. that's not the first thing i've read about onstage trouble in the last few months, either.

weird. I know alan was talking publicly about going on medication a couple of years ago so my assumption would be that it has something to do with that.

but it is a bit funny to think you'd get HURT at a low show

Buncha fuckin Helen Lovejoys on that DiS thread non-shocker

it was a seriously dangerous and fucking stupid thing to do. also, that festival was awash with kids. sparhawk is very lucky that he isn't facing manslaughter charges, and i am not being remotely hysterical here.

i mean, i was there, and the whole thing was *horrific, actually properly upsetting. sorry that the DiS readers aren't chuckling it off with sub-Chunklet ironic machismo, dude.

I primarily meant the hectoring pseudo-concern for the mental problems of someone they've never met, and directives of what he should and shouldn't do with his life. I know people care about the band (as do I) and the guy's problems sound horrible, but it rubbed me up the wrong way is all

no worries dude, i was totally over-vociferous up there. apols.

Would anyone out there be willing to ysi me a copy of "Prisoner"? It's on the Lifetime of Temporary Relief box set (also originally appeared in the limited Finally... EP). I'm desperate to find it but the songs from the box set aren't available on emusic, amazon, or itunes. I'd be very grateful...

unless someone beats me to it i'll up it later on today for you

Someone beat you to it - got an email with the link. Thanks though! I'm writing about Low all week starting tomorrow (here) and really wanted to include mention of this song. I only have it on cassette, of all things.

LOW played a unique (one time only) 2 and a half hour, 25 song concert in Eindhoven, the Netherlands (Catharina church) on January 22nd of 2009. (Crosslinx festival)

It was a collaboration with David Dramm and these were the players: (I just copy/pasted/translated this from concertzender.nl )

Low: Alan Sparhawk, voice, guitar. Mimi Parker: voice, percussion. Steve Garrington: bass guitar.
VocalLab: Bauwien van der Meer, Elsbeth Gerritsen, Fanny Alofs, Christian Damsgaard, Job Hubatka
Margarita Kourtparadisou, Marcel Andriessen: percussion.
Dominik Blum (Steamboat Switzerland) : church organ, Hammond B3, piano, Korg.
David Dramm: arrangements.

recorded at the Catharinakerk Eindhoven, 22-1-2009.
recording technician: Kees van de Wiel

The whole concert was broadcast in two parts on the Dutch (online?) radio station Concertzender on May 18th and yesterday and the streams are still available on demand.
All in 128 kbps, unfortunately, but still, not to be missed. (I don't know how long the station's on demand content remains online, by the way, don't think they delete anything, but I'm not sure at all)

PART ONE:

http://audio.omroep.nl/cz/cz/thema/20090518-20.mp3 (LOW = first 78 minutes of the 2-hour mp3)

David Dramm.
1. The wheel of Catherina.

Low.
2. Amazing Grace.
3. Sunflower.
4. In metal.
5. Candy Girl.
6. Dinosaur act.
7. Kind of girl.
8. Point of disgust.
9. Whitetail.
10. Canada.
11. Belarus.
12. Breaker.
13. Silver Rider.
14. Shots and ladders.

PART TWO:

http://audio.omroep.nl/cz/cz/thema/20090615-20.mp3 (LOW = first 77 minutes of the 2-hour mp3)

Low.
1. July.
2. Pretty People.
3. Take your Time.
4. Monkey.
5. Evertbody's Song.
6. The Lamb / Blood of the Lamb.
7. Violent Past.
8. Laser Beam.
9. In Silence.
10. Always Fade.
11. Dragonfly.
12. Murderer.
13. &20 (My Love (is for Free))
14. Sandinista.
15. When I go Deaf. (with David Dramm joining in on electric guitar)

Thanks!

Tons of Things We Lost in the Fire material in that set. Seems kinda random but ok!

This is great, thanks.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU will dl when I get home.

Amazing setlist.

Sandinista live is always *amazing*. Do they ever do "Embrace"? I'd love to hear a live version.

Oh wow, thanks for the links - some great stuff there by the look of it.

Small detail correction, by the way: apparently I misunderstood the presenter there, this wasn't the crosslinx festival, but the heartland festival (a collaboration between two local Eindhoven museums and the Smart museum of Art in Chicago). Sorry about that.

"Take Your Time" is amazing here.

(dammit! I thought I prepared my post thoroughly, but now I find out I can't count! That's 28 Low songs, not 25)

Do they ever do "Embrace"? I'd love to hear a live version.

Yes. If memory serves, they played it in Austin a few years back.

I think all of their albums have some of their very best songs. not sure about the tweedy album, I was forget about that one, but I assume it does, too.

“Always Trying to Work it Out” might be my least favorite Low song of all time lol

My god, Low fans are so different. Not quite Scott Walker levels of disagreeing fans but it does seem unusual.

I was a die-hard fan from the first album (bought solely based on the album cover in 1994). Bought every 7”, searched out every compilation appearance all the way through TWLITF, which was the first time I felt like there were no new ideas lurking in the record. Even though I really liked it, it’s when I felt myself starting to move on from Low. When Trust came out I actually didn’t even buy it. Then when Great Destroyer came out I really didn’t like the direction they were moving in. I was put off by early tracks from Drums & Guns too (Monkey and Breaker, two songs which to this day I still don’t like.)

So basically that was about 7 years of hardcore fandom followed by nearly 10 years of tangential interest at best, even though I still adored the early albums. At some point I decided to do a deep re-listen and finally after a loooong time, Things We Lost suddenly opened up for me and became my favorite of theirs, and I got back on board with everything they’d go on to do.

I also reconnected with the next three albums (and I think Murderer is arguably the best song they ever did), but overall those are still the three I feel least affinity for. They each have incredible highs but they also contain songs that are among my least favorites.

By “the next three” I mean Trust, GD, and D&G

Kinda surprised people draw a line in their newer records. Their songwriting style hasn’t changed much since around TWLITF. They started doing producer roulette amongst heavy hands (Albini, Fridmann, Burton, etc.) to mix things up, but the songwriting has felt pretty stable (and been consistently good).

If there’s a distinction between early vs. new, I would think it would be the Vernon Yard years vs. everything after. The Vernon Yard albums were beholden to the (intentionally limiting) sound. Secret Name and moreso TWLITF was when the songwriting started coming into focus, and it’s been like that ever since.

If I was to draw a line anywhere it would probably be based on the drop in Alan's register, which occurred progressively over the first four albums but felt locked in from TWLITF onwards.

There’s also a narrative that C’mon through Ones and Sixes was a low point for the band, and the final two albums marked a comeback of sorts. Maybe in terms of critical attention this is true–-and those albums aren't the most exciting (although I don’t see why people seem particularly down on The Invisible Way)–-but it seems like that period was when the band’s reputation as indie stalwarts was solidifying. Each show seemed to draw bigger and more respectful crowds than the last, set lists looked more and more like greatest hits sets, and Alan especially seemed happier and more comfortable.

The band’s full of contradictions in a fun way. Like The Great Destroyer is one of their weakest imo, but the band seems to like it, or they always draw heavily from it in their shows.

I think in 2011 they also did those 10 yr anniversary shows where they played TWLITF in full? That was when I realised they were now a “legacy” band (also I wish I had gone).

that period was a relatively unadventurous one for them after they'd spent a few albums shaking things up, and the invisible way is probably their weakest (though it's by no means bad) so i can see why people would think that way. ones and sixes does completely lead into double negative & hey what though

Apropos of nothing in particular, "Death of a Salesman" is a grim & beautiful song.

Listening to a lot of the two post-Low Sparhawks lately, but also "Secret Room" and "The Great Destroyer" (I'm with Robert Plant here) and "C'mon" lately. Totally incredible stuff.

Never heard this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lchC5sQepqE

It and their cover of “Blue Eyed Devil” are their best covers

i love the "down by the river" they did with dirty three

“Let Jah Be Praised” is their one reggae track and it makes me so happy.

i love the "down by the river" they did with dirty three

― ufo, Tuesday, June 9, 2026 4:21 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Oh yeah, these three would probably be my top three Low covers on a given day.

Their covers of "Little Surfer Girl" and Tom T. Hall's "I Love" are also wonderful.

Oh fuck, of course there' "I Started a Joke," too, which is incredible.

The "I Love" cover is, afaic, the defining version of the song— even when Zak takes over from Mimi for the one verse re: drugs, it's just sublime.

For a band with a beautiful & unique catalog of originals, they are also sublime as a covers band.

When we voted 5 years ago the ILX hive mind said these were the best covers

1. Down by the River - 186 points, 12 voters, 5 #1 votes
2. Transmission - 156 points, 11 voters, 4 #1 votes
3. Fearless - 154 points, 12 voters, 1 #1 vote
4. I Started a Joke - 140 points, 9 voters, 2 #1 votes
5. Little Drummer Boy - 112 points, 8 voters, 1 #1 vote
6. Blue-Eyed Devil - 108 points, 8 voters, 2 #1 votes
7. Long Long Long - 96 points, 8 voters
8. Stay - 92 points, 8 voters
8. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me - 92 points, 7 voters, 1 #1 vote
10. Lord, Can You Hear Me? - 90 points, 9 voters

Nice bit from an Invisible Way-era interview with Alan:

A little bit of experience gives you some confidence sometimes. In those times when you're questioning your abilities sometimes you're able to remember that, "Oh yeah, it takes work and doesn't always feel right at first." Or, "Be patient." If it feels like nothing is working, eventually it will and that's kind of all you really learn with time. A little bit of patience with your own process. Being able to trust that if you keep at it, it will show its face.

don't forget their cover of Africa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWPx5N3rCvU

I guess since there was never an "official" recording of it, I never considered the Africa cover, but I do remember it!!

One thing I thought at the time, and was reminded of watching it just now, is that I think Low could have absolutely *slaughtered* a cover of "Little Red Corvette."

What about “Thieves In the Temple?”

It’s not my favorite Prince song but I they could have worked some magic with it.

oh totally, but “Little Red Corvette” was one of the songs they could have chosen for that AV club feature