― alex thomson, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― ethan padgett, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― sundar subramanian, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― Josh, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― Jens, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 18 February 2001 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
I think they're alright, I think their obvious dedication to their sound and art is fairly admirable, but the resulting records don't move me (the Christmas one is quite nice).
In some of the praise of them there's an undertow of virtues-of- simplicity stuff, and I can see why - when I listen to Low the word that often comes to mind is 'quaint'. You feel a little better for owning a Low record, I suppose, like a piece of handmade furniture or something. They're not classic.
― Tom, Monday, 19 February 2001 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― Josh, Monday, 19 February 2001 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― the pinefox, Tuesday, 13 March 2001 01:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― Josh, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― Phil, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Saturday, 21 July 2001 00:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― anthony, Saturday, 21 July 2001 00:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
― gareth, Sunday, 22 July 2001 00:00 (seventeen years ago) Permalink
ha I never said on this thread that 'the curtain hits the cast' is one of my few most favorite albums ever.
― Josh, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink
― Julio Desouza, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (sixteen years ago) Permalink
i watched that low documentary on cable last nite. maaaaaaaan, was that boring. not even two members of napalm death could pep things up. HOW IRONIC LOW DUDE THEY ARE IN NAPALM DEATH AND YOU ARE IN LOW AND YOU ARE IN THE SAME BUILDING WHAT ARE THE ODDS. on the other hand, it made me want to listen to low records. i do like low. and watching low live from my couch is, if you ask me, the best friggin' place on earth to watch low live.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 20:25 (ten years ago) Permalink
hahah, interesting post. a boring documentary that made you wanna listen to the records. i can see that. good documentary i guess, rather slow, i own it but have only watched it once, so far.
― stephen, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 20:33 (ten years ago) Permalink
the live footage is indeed superb.
that's the Low In Europe thing, right? I've got that DVD too, should really watch it again too
― StanM, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 20:43 (ten years ago) Permalink
they should have set up the most boring people alive premise even more than they did. they sould have called the doc: HOW LOW CAN YOU GO:THE DIRTY DULUTH 3 LAY WASTE TO EUROPE! with girls gone wild cover art.
― scott seward, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 20:49 (ten years ago) Permalink
Maybe the sequel will be even lower
― StanM, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 20:52 (ten years ago) Permalink
Low & Lowerer, with new bass player Jim Carrey
― StanM, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 20:53 (ten years ago) Permalink
ultimately characterless and forgettable
lol. Heard Drums and Guns?
― Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, 9 January 2008 22:20 (ten years ago) Permalink
it hadn't been released back then
― electricsound, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 22:27 (ten years ago) Permalink
i have "low in europe" and only got halfway through it. hmm. and as you all know, i adore them.
vvv tickled to see the original post -- it was alex who got me into low, some ... fucking hell, 12 years ago now. christ.
― grimly fiendish, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 22:30 (ten years ago) Permalink
which album do I listen to right now if I've never heard any of them before? quick!
― Preview of the Matrix 12, Sunday, 27 January 2008 23:44 (ten years ago) Permalink
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.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 27 January 2008 23:48 (ten years ago) Permalink
Things We Lost in the Fire is a great introduction. I'd also recommend Secret Name, which was my intro, also very good.
― stephen, Monday, 28 January 2008 20:19 (ten years ago) Permalink
Things We Lost in the Fire, definitely. Worked for me at least, from the first chord change.
― Z S, Monday, 28 January 2008 20:26 (ten years ago) Permalink
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.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 22 June 2008 01:34 (ten years ago) Permalink
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.
― stephen, Sunday, 22 June 2008 01:58 (ten years ago) Permalink
npr interview with the sparhawks a while ago that touched on his issues
― mookieproof, Sunday, 22 June 2008 02:00 (ten years ago) Permalink
Catch it now, Stephen. It's the "One Week Only" feature on Pitchfork.tv.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 22 June 2008 02:14 (ten years ago) Permalink
That NPR interview is fascinating. Sparhawk dances around his problems some, but this is the first time I've heard he was suicidal.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 22 June 2008 02:41 (ten years ago) Permalink
Thanks Daniel, I'll be sure to check it out Sunday morning when i get up :D
― stephen, Sunday, 22 June 2008 03:53 (ten years ago) Permalink
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.
― sean gramophone, Sunday, 22 June 2008 16:52 (ten years ago) Permalink
Low have subtley crept, over the course of about ten years, into the position of being my favorite existing band.
― Pillbox, Sunday, 22 June 2008 18:28 (ten years ago) Permalink
"subtly"
Some good discussion on this thread, methinks.
― Pillbox, Sunday, 22 June 2008 18:41 (ten years ago) Permalink
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.
― Simon H., Sunday, 22 June 2008 18:44 (ten years ago) Permalink
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.
― Pillbox, Sunday, 22 June 2008 19:12 (ten years ago) Permalink
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.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 22 June 2008 19:34 (ten years ago) Permalink
I'll third that. Best band going today.
― stephen, Sunday, 22 June 2008 19:37 (ten years ago) Permalink
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.
― akm, Sunday, 22 June 2008 20:06 (ten years ago) Permalink
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!).
― Pillbox, Sunday, 22 June 2008 20:13 (ten years ago) Permalink
"thought" = though
― Pillbox, Sunday, 22 June 2008 20:15 (ten years ago) Permalink
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.
― schlump, Thursday, 17 July 2008 11:32 (ten years ago) Permalink
several audio issues :(
― StanM, Saturday, 3 November 2018 09:00 (one month ago) Permalink
This was far-and-away my favourite Low album on first listen and now it might be one of my favourite albums, period
― fgti is for (flamboyant goon tie included), Sunday, 11 November 2018 20:02 (one month ago) Permalink
Sounded great last night in Philly, even if I had to endure the odor of someone’s vomit through the entire show. I think they may have been at an all Frito-Lay buffet earlier in the evening?
― spastic heritage, Sunday, 11 November 2018 20:29 (one month ago) Permalink
Someone in the audience, umprompted, announced the Minnesota election results to them at the Toronto gig
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Sunday, 11 November 2018 20:42 (one month ago) Permalink
They were fantastic in Boston a couple nights ago. They've developed an effect that seems to remove all initial attack and sustains/loops notes until new ones are played, and simultaneously give a jittery, digital-decomposition sound with some octave/chorus sounds, which they use on most of the 'Double Negative' tracks (and retroactively apply to some of the earlier songs) and I found it entrancing and really effective. In particular, parts from the record I would've assumed were guitar if not some non-string instrument turned out actually to be Steven's bass, played very high on the frets. Really beautiful. Overall I'd say it was the most impassioned I've ever seen them (saw them play aggressively and angrily on the 'Drums & Guns' tour, which was interesting, but lacked the tension and restraint and impact of how they're playing now). They seem to know their new work is among their best, almost seem proud of it--deservedly so.
― Soundslike, Sunday, 11 November 2018 22:45 (one month ago) Permalink
otm
― meaulnes, Monday, 12 November 2018 03:53 (one month ago) Permalink
fgti if you have more thoughts about the album I think I speak for everyone when I say we'd all love to hear 'em
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Monday, 12 November 2018 11:49 (one month ago) Permalink
that vomiting was right by the chair i was standing on. when i saw them open for slowdive at union transfer a few years back, the lead singer of nothing puked in a garbage can right by me, too. i have that effect on people i guess
― reggie (qualmsley), Monday, 12 November 2018 13:11 (one month ago) Permalink
i'm nothing but heart
― reggie (qualmsley), Friday, 16 November 2018 01:31 (four weeks ago) Permalink
Perfect pairing of band and venue tonight, just utterly gorgeous on both counts. As Alan said, it was so pretty he didn't want to mess it up by saying anything. Looks like the setlists have been pretty similar this tour. They have a million songs but don't seem like the sort of group that can just pull something out.
Classic.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 November 2018 05:07 (three weeks ago) Permalink
IDK how the other shows turned out, but hearing people flip out at the opening notes of "Do You Know..." was hilarious to me. Like, here comes the hit!
Also, a couple of the recent songs were almost funky/groovy live thanks to Steven
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Saturday, 17 November 2018 05:30 (three weeks ago) Permalink
(sold out) crowd here was dead silent during each song.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 November 2018 05:36 (three weeks ago) Permalink
Occurred to me that as moody as the band is I really have no idea what any of their songs are about.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 17 November 2018 14:22 (three weeks ago) Permalink
simply, politics/existential anxiety/faith/hope. the material on double negative mostly concerns current political climate - theyve expressed that frustration fairly directly across other records (drums and guns). sure some of its cryptic. issues with the church of LDS too ('quorum'). they occasionally divulge in interviews - 'no comprende' was about alans/mimi's domesticity and endurance in their relationship. as for older stuff, 'starfire' is about their friend who had a pirate radio station... dunno!
― meaulnes, Saturday, 17 November 2018 16:41 (three weeks ago) Permalink
Lots of Secret Name is about the LDS I believe.
― Bimlo Horsewagon became Wheelbarrow Horseflesh (aldo), Saturday, 17 November 2018 17:48 (three weeks ago) Permalink
Yeah Sparhawk's Mormonism coupled with his, um, quite un-Mormon lifestyle has always fascinated me
― The Poppy Bush AutoZone (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, 17 November 2018 18:08 (three weeks ago) Permalink
I guess I can see how “No Comprende” could be about their relationship but wow what a dark framing for it.
― Tim F, Saturday, 17 November 2018 23:32 (three weeks ago) Permalink
xxp oh, I have to listen again to really think about it, but the way that the songs are at the service of larger production theses is a big one, they found ways to subvert the blunt appeal of Mimi+Alan=pretty bedrock of their vocal approach while still keeping it as the bedrock. It's really a marvellous trick when a band/artist keeps the same thing that makes their music appealing but finds ways to obscure and withhold it, and make that appealing feature essentially more valuable as a result
I need to actually listen to the lyrics I guess, never a high point with this band in the past ime but I hope they're good
― fgti is for (flamboyant goon tie included), Saturday, 17 November 2018 23:42 (three weeks ago) Permalink
lol there is only one Low lyric (just a single line) that I really can't stand, and it happens to be in my favorite song -- "man in the box wants to burn my soul"
― rip van wanko, Sunday, 18 November 2018 00:20 (three weeks ago) Permalink
In Metal is about having a baby
― The Poppy Bush AutoZone (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, 18 November 2018 00:32 (three weeks ago) Permalink
xp some of the lyrics on the first LP are a little cringy - 'rope', 'fear'... but i return to it again and again many nights just for the atmosphere. i must have played 'down' a hundred times this year.
wonderful live set from the era here: https://archive.org/details/low1994-03-29.flac
― meaulnes, Sunday, 18 November 2018 00:51 (three weeks ago) Permalink
"you can't trust violence" is one of the great economical phrases of rock tbh
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Sunday, 18 November 2018 00:57 (three weeks ago) Permalink
Was nice to hear Lazy last night sort of float out of the noise of Waltz.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 18 November 2018 02:11 (three weeks ago) Permalink
Speaking of which, "Lazy" sounds remarkably like Labradford, distantly presaging their switch to Kranky.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 18 November 2018 13:47 (three weeks ago) Permalink
xpost "Words" - love that song as well ... curious why you find that "man in the box" line so bothersome?
― that's not my post, Sunday, 18 November 2018 18:46 (three weeks ago) Permalink
it's "burn my soul" in particular, feels both very arch and quite vague. I assume the narrator is troubled by something he sees on TV but "burns my soul" just doesn't point anywhere to me
― rip van wanko, Sunday, 18 November 2018 22:55 (three weeks ago) Permalink
I always assumed it was a reference to a televangelist hectoring sinners with threats of eternal damnation.
― Tim F, Sunday, 18 November 2018 23:10 (three weeks ago) Permalink
that first album still sounds like faith / pornography - era cure to me
― reggie (qualmsley), Sunday, 18 November 2018 23:10 (three weeks ago) Permalink
i'm enjoying this introspect! kramer's production, honestly. he had it down. those first two LPs, and Galaxie 500...
― meaulnes, Sunday, 18 November 2018 23:12 (three weeks ago) Permalink
I hadn't listened to the first album in years, but this morning it sounded like it could have been released this year. Faith era Cure otm.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 18 November 2018 23:55 (three weeks ago) Permalink
I always assumed it was a reference to a televangelist hectoring sinners with threats of eternal damnation.― Tim F, Sunday, November 18, 2018 3:10 PM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― Tim F, Sunday, November 18, 2018 3:10 PM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
This is my interpretation as well. It's a US-specific reference so maybe it doesn't travel too well.
― that's not my post, Monday, 19 November 2018 02:29 (three weeks ago) Permalink
i've been thinking about "always up" ever since i saw it performed at the chicago show. i never appreciated its subdued power until hearing it in that church
― diamonddave85 (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 27 November 2018 20:47 (two weeks ago) Permalink
I like the new record, I'm not quite as head over heels in love with it as a lot of folks seem, though I am sort of chalking it up to seeing it live and hearing the songs in that setting and kind of falling in love with them vs the record.
I hadn't see them play a regular non-noise/drone show in a long time & they were fantastic, one of the best shows I have ever seen, every song was like the best song ever played.
Secret Name & Things We Lost In the Fire are still my go to lps,
― chr1sb3singer, Tuesday, 27 November 2018 20:54 (two weeks ago) Permalink
i am completely head over heels in love with it
― diamonddave85 (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 27 November 2018 21:06 (two weeks ago) Permalink
i think it even leveled-up after the 200th listen
― diamonddave85 (diamonddave85), Tuesday, 27 November 2018 21:07 (two weeks ago) Permalink
I've finally got hold of Double Negative, yes this is a good lp. I would like it even more if they could keep the style of the first four tracks going through the rest of it, but understand that it might try people's patience a bit.
― mfktz (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Thursday, 6 December 2018 22:59 (one week ago) Permalink
This is the first Low album I've purchased in years, and it really holds up. The blown-out / distortion effects don't wear thin, as it's pared back nicely during some understated parts. It's well-nuanced, compared to something like Embryonic by The Flaming Lips
― braunld (Lowell N. Behold'n), Friday, 7 December 2018 00:40 (one week ago) Permalink
It sounds as if they're using really heavy compression. "Always Trying to Work it Out" is fascinating - it has the same kind of aggressive compression as a lot of dance music. Whenever the kick drum comes in the entire rest of the mix gets out of the way, but they've made the kick drum quiet so that it sounds as if distant artillery is going off. Or some infernal factory. The album sounds like a more experimental, gloomier Slowdive.
I've generally been sceptical of Low - no-one can be that anguished for that long, they came across as fakers - but Double Negative is subtler. The sound is much more in-your-face but the lyrics and general atmosphere are subtler.
― Ashley Pomeroy, Friday, 7 December 2018 23:12 (one week ago) Permalink
no-one can be that anguished for that long
actually,
― lowercase (eric), Friday, 7 December 2018 23:19 (one week ago) Permalink
I've generally been sceptical of Low - no-one can be that anguished for that long, they came across as fakers
This is a really weird opinion
― The Poppy Bush AutoZone (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, 8 December 2018 03:30 (six days ago) Permalink
Always Trying To Work It Out is my favorite track on here, and that sidechain kick is definitely a big part of that. Don't know that I've really heard that before on a nominally non-electronic recording.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Saturday, 8 December 2018 03:59 (six days ago) Permalink
They used that effect on the last LP as well, notably on the opener "Gentle"
― resident hack (Simon H.), Saturday, 8 December 2018 05:53 (six days ago) Permalink
I've generally been sceptical of Low - no-one can be that anguished for that long, they came across as fakersThis is a really weird opinion
― gbx, Thursday, 13 December 2018 02:14 (yesterday) Permalink
re the sidechain kicks:
I wouldn't deny that the sound is quite different here (though again it was suggested by some of the tracks on Ones and Sixes), but I feel that the way the band use keyboards and static and processed sounds here (a lot of the arrangements seem to be built on distorted samples of their own vocals) is strongly consistent with their prior general songwriting/arranging approach: especially the way that some of the tracks seem to be almost a grim caricature of sidechain compression with the melodies being obliterated by a regular but slow overwhelming kick like they're constantly disappearing into and re-emerging from a black hole. It's very much a digital counterpart to their original trick of focusing the listener's attention on stark, very slow, endlessly repeated guitar chords.
― Tim F, Tuesday, 11 September 2018 22:49 (three months ago) Permalink
Perhaps worth emphasising that the kick itself does not sound "loud" - almost like they wanted to concoct a heavily sidechained arrangement but then remove the most of the sound that the sidechaining is designed to emphasise, so it's as if the arrangements are being overwhelemed by silence or numbness, like you're going straight from sensation to a kind of post-explosion deafness, but skipping the sound of the explosion that put you there.
I can't think of a more allusive sonic trick in music this year.
― Tim F, Thursday, 13 December 2018 03:22 (yesterday) Permalink
Purity Ring did that a lot on Shrines, having extreme sidechain effects, but muting out the kick half the time so it sounds like everything is fading in and out.
― Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Thursday, 13 December 2018 03:46 (yesterday) Permalink
I'd characterize the music of Low as downtempo, reflective, somber at times, but not "anguished"
― rip van wanko, Thursday, 13 December 2018 04:34 (yesterday) Permalink
Yeah, they exert a level of control I tend not to associate with anguish. Angst, sure.
― resident hack (Simon H.), Thursday, 13 December 2018 04:39 (yesterday) Permalink
The missing link here is the weird kick Sparhawk used on the first Retribution Gospel Choir album, not the same but it was definitely some weird compression (I've heard of side chain but I don't know enough to say if it's the same thing)
― No Smockin' (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 13 December 2018 13:09 (yesterday) Permalink
Are the drums on "No Comprende" from the last albums programmed or massively compressed or both?
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 13 December 2018 13:26 (yesterday) Permalink
I used to use that trick a lot, you sidechain the kick to the other track and send it 'pre-fader'.
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 13 December 2018 16:29 (yesterday) Permalink