This is a concern, given Sparhawk's past (see that documentary film about the band from a year ago, You Might Need A Murderer).
I couldn't place him at first, only remembering him from Low towards the end of the set... He seemed like a local guy, certainly no one who would be recognized on a national scale; everything came off as sort of amateur (just a guy with an electric guitar, no back up band, strange and embarrassing lyrics about the perils of war, etc.). He just stood there almost motionless, strumming his guitar in a rhythmless manner way that created a giant, amorphous wall of sound. Aside from his set, which seemed like the soundtrack to a bad acid trip, his between-song banter was rather stilted, with a lot of awkward pauses and rambling comments, and an apparent lack of self-awareness. I'm not sure if this is how he always is, but it was somewhat unsettling to me. When he left the stage, he said something like "I guess I'll get off the stage now so you can see some real music."
― Jesus Christ, Attorney at Law (res), Thursday, 18 June 2009 13:47 (fourteen years ago) link
I'm not sure if this is how he always is
Yes, it is :)
― a tiny, faltering megaphone (grimly fiendish), Thursday, 18 June 2009 13:51 (fourteen years ago) link
Grimly otm. I've seen Low many times and Alan's stage persona has evolved (if that's the word) into this very dead-pan, almost bereft figure on the last couple of tours. Without the band it sounds like he's even more twitchy.
― Bill A, Thursday, 18 June 2009 14:12 (fourteen years ago) link
Wasn't there a thing where he forcefully threw a guitar at an audience at one of the ATP festivals?
― Metro Video Centers, Thursday, 18 June 2009 14:20 (fourteen years ago) link
Man, I worry about that dude.
― Simon H., Thursday, 18 June 2009 14:23 (fourteen years ago) link
Scroll up. (xpost)
― StanM, Thursday, 18 June 2009 14:25 (fourteen years ago) link
Ah, yes, I see.
― Metro Video Centers, Thursday, 18 June 2009 14:28 (fourteen years ago) link
I realise how incredibly lame this sounds spoken out loud, but... can anyone do something about this, FFS?
― Lostandfound, Friday, 19 June 2009 05:33 (fourteen years ago) link
Do you mean something like a fan intervention? We're all concerned for his wellbeing, and I think us fans could voice that, but any more than that, I don't know, wouldn't that become way too personal very quickly?
― StanM, Friday, 19 June 2009 07:39 (fourteen years ago) link
he's a guy with mental health issues; i don't know that circumnavigating awkward onstage conversation would be a real triumph of intervention. it is what it is.
― the heart is a lonely hamster (schlump), Friday, 19 June 2009 13:00 (fourteen years ago) link
he has a wife who loves him and many people who love him, he's not some loner out there on the streets with no-one overseeing how he acts and behaves
― akm, Friday, 19 June 2009 14:03 (fourteen years ago) link
You guys are right, that was my inside voice coming out... as well as a lot of personal life stuff involving loved ones with mental illness. I almost get anxiety attacks of my own thinking about Alan Sparhawk! I don't mean this in a stan-like way (hopefully), but we do get invested in the people whose music makes our own lives better. Not sure what we can do in this scenario, though.
― Lostandfound, Friday, 19 June 2009 18:07 (fourteen years ago) link
Let's call A&E and get him on Intervention. Hey, it was good enough for Travis Meeks from Days of the New.
― Jesus Christ, Chiropractor at Law (res), Friday, 19 June 2009 20:03 (fourteen years ago) link
i wonder if they'd play the opening music extra slow for that episode
― more tang than an astronaut (bug), Friday, 19 June 2009 20:39 (fourteen years ago) link
I just cried listening to the Transmission EP, so it would have to be classic.
― krakow, Saturday, 19 September 2009 23:02 (fourteen years ago) link
these guys make me well up all the time.
― ... (Pillbox), Saturday, 19 September 2009 23:10 (fourteen years ago) link
I saw them last week at this free music+movies thing in mpls, introducing Jaws (which they picked). Alan claimed that the first day he met Mimi, in 4th grade, she gave him a betamax copy of Jaws, and told him to study it if he wanted to make it big.
― clotpoll, Sunday, 20 September 2009 05:12 (fourteen years ago) link
'Long Division' playing now. I'm so maudlin at the moment.
― krakow, Sunday, 20 September 2009 09:41 (fourteen years ago) link
Has there ever been a Low poll? I can't find one. If not, then we should have one. I'm getting deep in again at the moment. 'Songs For A Dead Pilot' now, after 'Curtain Hits The Cast' this afternoon at work.
― krakow, Sunday, 20 September 2009 21:21 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah, there is an album poll around somewhere.
― Andrew "Nice" Clay (Pillbox), Sunday, 20 September 2009 21:26 (fourteen years ago) link
I'll have a more dedicated look. Searching for Low brings up a lot of things.
― krakow, Sunday, 20 September 2009 21:29 (fourteen years ago) link
Found it, but it was screwed up for some image related reason, so that a load of the results don't show up at all: What is the best Low album/release?
I demand a re-poll!
― krakow, Sunday, 20 September 2009 21:31 (fourteen years ago) link
Was the solo guitar album any good?
― Sundar, Sunday, 20 September 2009 21:34 (fourteen years ago) link
xpost: it was repolled after that, but I don't recall what it was titled.
― Andrew "Nice" Clay (Pillbox), Sunday, 20 September 2009 21:38 (fourteen years ago) link
No, imho. xpost
― StanM, Sunday, 20 September 2009 21:38 (fourteen years ago) link
You know what was kinda good? The Retribution Gospel Choir album. The version of "Holes in our heads" in that is godly.
― Turangalila, Sunday, 20 September 2009 21:59 (fourteen years ago) link
Found the re-poll: What is the best Low album/release? (Encore version)
― krakow, Sunday, 20 September 2009 22:02 (fourteen years ago) link
Can't believe 'Things We Lost In The Fire' didn't run away with it, it's blatantly the best album!
― krakow, Sunday, 20 September 2009 22:03 (fourteen years ago) link
it really isn't
― million dollar pig junior (electricsound), Sunday, 20 September 2009 22:43 (fourteen years ago) link
Only recently discovered The Great Destroyer which I love. Too bad they're Mormons, though.
― Alex in NYC, Sunday, 20 September 2009 23:57 (fourteen years ago) link
Silver Rider, from The Great Destroyer, is a near-perfect slowcore song. Low is another band that should get mentioned in many Best-Of-The-Decade lists, but I think they'll be criminally overlooked.
― Daniel, Esq., Monday, 21 September 2009 00:16 (fourteen years ago) link
Alex, is that the only Low album you know? A lot of people like that album, but it's my least favorite.
― Turangalila, Monday, 21 September 2009 00:26 (fourteen years ago) link
Among Low's hard-core fans, I imagine The Great Destroyer is the least favorite album.
It's among my favorites of theirs, tho.
― Daniel, Esq., Monday, 21 September 2009 00:27 (fourteen years ago) link
Too bad they're Mormons, though.
too bad? why?
― Lowell N. Behold'n, Monday, 21 September 2009 05:48 (fourteen years ago) link
I prefer the version of Silver Rider on the Murderer ep to be honest.
― I thought I could make it work because you look a bit like a man (aldo), Monday, 21 September 2009 09:10 (fourteen years ago) link
Listening to it all again. "Over The Ocean" just spurred me to revive. Wonderful.
I was remembering how it was Mogwai that got me into Low, as they used to talk about them in interviews and how amazing they were, so I went and hunted it out. Mogwai were also responsible for getting me into Bardo Pond in exactly the same way.
― krakow, Friday, 6 November 2009 19:39 (fourteen years ago) link
"Venus" is their best song, imo.
― Trip Maker, Friday, 6 November 2009 19:43 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.jmichaelward.com/stnnng/images/sparhawk.jpg
― The looming shadow of the big baller/shot caller (M@tt He1ges0n), Sunday, 8 November 2009 16:55 (fourteen years ago) link
Anyone know what they're up to? It's been a few years since D&G, tho Sparhawk has been into the various side projects & things.
― you just freaked out more than our director of lols (Pillbox), Sunday, 8 November 2009 17:27 (fourteen years ago) link
not sure but the retribution gospel choir is pretty hot...like low meets crazy horse
― The looming shadow of the big baller/shot caller (M@tt He1ges0n), Sunday, 8 November 2009 17:28 (fourteen years ago) link
The RGC disc comes out in January 2010, I think.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 8 November 2009 17:46 (fourteen years ago) link
Dunno, I thought the self-titled album was a drag and I'll represent for most anything else Sparhawk has released.
xpost
― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Sunday, 8 November 2009 17:47 (fourteen years ago) link
hmmm i guess i'm reacting to seeing them live, i don't have the albums...live it's amazing if you have a chance
― The looming shadow of the big baller/shot caller (M@tt He1ges0n), Sunday, 8 November 2009 17:50 (fourteen years ago) link
the RGC album is pretty good but doesn't nearly do justice to their live show. maybe the next one will.
― LaMonte, Sunday, 8 November 2009 17:54 (fourteen years ago) link
Been listening to Lifetime Of Temporary Relief boxset all week and falling in love all over again again. So much wonderful stuff on there.
― krakow, Thursday, 19 November 2009 21:58 (fourteen years ago) link
On a walk in surprisingly-chilly South Florida, I just listened to a Low playlist: Whore; July; In Metal; Silver Rider; Death Of A Salesman; and Breaker.
The most intense -- and one of the most fascinating -- act of the decade.
― Daniel, Esq., Friday, 27 November 2009 23:35 (fourteen years ago) link
Picked up the two live albums today - "Paris '99" & "One More Reason To Forget". Life does come up OK sometimes.
― krakow, Friday, 27 November 2009 23:49 (fourteen years ago) link
Thread makes me (almost) happy.
― Lostandfound, Saturday, 28 November 2009 09:02 (fourteen years ago) link
saw a partially (intentionally?) obscured road sign yesterday that said
LOWOWN
― electrical audio's sm57 (electricsound), Wednesday, 2 December 2009 00:56 (fourteen years ago) link
and i had to agree