Low: Classic or classic?

I saw Sparhawk open for the Meat Puppets a couple weeks back, and boy was it weird. His lyrics were bizarre and often embarrassing, and his voice and guitar reverberated so much that I started to feel like I was part of a weird social experiment where my reactions were being taped while I listened to someone mentally breakdown onstage. To date, it was probably the oddest concert experi[ence/ment?] I've ever had.

interesting story

I thought the whole recording was all a bit quiet, but then it IS Low, of course... :-)

In the main, this is Low's live wonderfulness and some of the additional instrumentation works really well. But the overpowering, and frankly wholly redundant, backing vocals (ie. female voice other than Mimi) on Sandinista totally scupper the song...

I saw Sparhawk open for the Meat Puppets a couple weeks back, and boy was it weird. His lyrics were bizarre and often embarrassing, and his voice and guitar reverberated so much that I started to feel like I was part of a weird social experiment where my reactions were being taped while I listened to someone mentally breakdown onstage. To date, it was probably the oddest concert experi[ence/ment?] I've ever had.

This is a concern, given Sparhawk's past (see that documentary film about the band from a year ago, You Might Need A Murderer).

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."

I'm not sure if this is how he always is

Yes, it is :)

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.

Wasn't there a thing where he forcefully threw a guitar at an audience at one of the ATP festivals?

Man, I worry about that dude.

Scroll up. (xpost)

Ah, yes, I see.

I realise how incredibly lame this sounds spoken out loud, but... can anyone do something about this, FFS?

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?

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.

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

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.

Let's call A&E and get him on Intervention. Hey, it was good enough for Travis Meeks from Days of the New.

i wonder if they'd play the opening music extra slow for that episode

I just cried listening to the Transmission EP, so it would have to be classic.

these guys make me well up all the time.

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.

'Long Division' playing now. I'm so maudlin at the moment.

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.

yeah, there is an album poll around somewhere.

I'll have a more dedicated look. Searching for Low brings up a lot of things.

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!

Was the solo guitar album any good?

xpost: it was repolled after that, but I don't recall what it was titled.

No, imho. xpost

You know what was kinda good? The Retribution Gospel Choir album. The version of "Holes in our heads" in that is godly.

Found the re-poll: What is the best Low album/release? (Encore version)

Can't believe 'Things We Lost In The Fire' didn't run away with it, it's blatantly the best album!

it really isn't

Only recently discovered The Great Destroyer which I love. Too bad they're Mormons, though.

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.

Alex, is that the only Low album you know? A lot of people like that album, but it's my least favorite.

Among Low's hard-core fans, I imagine The Great Destroyer is the least favorite album.

It's among my favorites of theirs, tho.

Too bad they're Mormons, though.

too bad? why?

I prefer the version of Silver Rider on the Murderer ep to be honest.

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.

"Venus" is their best song, imo.

http://www.jmichaelward.com/stnnng/images/sparhawk.jpg

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.

not sure but the retribution gospel choir is pretty hot...like low meets crazy horse

The RGC disc comes out in January 2010, I think.

Dunno, I thought the self-titled album was a drag and I'll represent for most anything else Sparhawk has released.

xpost

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 RGC album is pretty good but doesn't nearly do justice to their live show. maybe the next one will.

Been listening to Lifetime Of Temporary Relief boxset all week and falling in love all over again again. So much wonderful stuff on there.