― alex thomson, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― ethan padgett, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― sundar subramanian, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Josh, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Jens, Saturday, 17 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Ned Raggett, Sunday, 18 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
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 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Josh, Monday, 19 February 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― the pinefox, Tuesday, 13 March 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Josh, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Phil, Friday, 20 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Mitch Lastnamewithheld, Saturday, 21 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― anthony, Saturday, 21 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― gareth, Sunday, 22 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
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 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Julio Desouza, Monday, 1 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
Maybe the sequel will be even lower
― StanM, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 20:52 (fifteen years ago) link
Low & Lowerer, with new bass player Jim Carrey
― StanM, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 20:53 (fifteen years ago) link
ultimately characterless and forgettable
lol. Heard Drums and Guns?
― Daniel, Esq., Wednesday, 9 January 2008 22:20 (fifteen years ago) link
it hadn't been released back then
― electricsound, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 22:27 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
npr interview with the sparhawks a while ago that touched on his issues
― mookieproof, Sunday, 22 June 2008 02:00 (fifteen years ago) link
Catch it now, Stephen. It's the "One Week Only" feature on Pitchfork.tv.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 22 June 2008 02:14 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
Thanks Daniel, I'll be sure to check it out Sunday morning when i get up :D
― stephen, Sunday, 22 June 2008 03:53 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
"subtly"
Some good discussion on this thread, methinks.
― Pillbox, Sunday, 22 June 2008 18:41 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
I'll third that. Best band going today.
― stephen, Sunday, 22 June 2008 19:37 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
"thought" = though
― Pillbox, Sunday, 22 June 2008 20:15 (fifteen years ago) link
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 (fifteen years ago) link
Yeah, here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmFQlABsWs1/?hl=en
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 16 December 2022 19:06 (eleven months ago) link
❤️🥁❤️ https://t.co/SkT72mUZEY— LOW (@lowtheband) December 21, 2022
that got me. Really would love one for my house.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Wednesday, 21 December 2022 20:14 (eleven months ago) link
All I want to contribute today is that I'm listening to Ones and Sixes and enjoying the hell out of "The Innocents" and "No Comprende."
― Malevolent Arugula (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 21 December 2022 20:20 (eleven months ago) link
Christmas on the stereo right now. Of course I burst into tears during the first minute of "Just Like Christmas."
There's a lot of a really beautiful church music around this time of year, imho, but nothing compares to Low's version of "Little Drummer Boy." It's massive and just astonishingly gorgeous.
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Friday, 23 December 2022 22:23 (eleven months ago) link
:(
When you hear of someone falling off or becoming homeless or a hoarder after someone close to them dies, it’s not the grief that put them there - it’s the mountain of cold bullshit they have to cut through just to function and go on with life. The crowning gift of capitalism.— LOW (@lowtheband) January 13, 2023
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 13 January 2023 22:42 (ten months ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUBp4EWieEc
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Tuesday, 17 January 2023 06:03 (ten months ago) link
xpost - that is indeed a depressing sentiment, one that hits really hard after having suddenly lost my father-in-law recently. the amount of red tape and bullshit that my wife has been through already is enough to stress anyone's system and she's just barely hit the tip of the iceberg
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Tuesday, 17 January 2023 16:26 (ten months ago) link
Narayama seeming like a more humane option these days
― POLIZISTEN VERSINKEN IM SCHLAMM (forksclovetofu), Tuesday, 17 January 2023 16:28 (ten months ago) link
I haven't been able to listen to Low much since Mimi passed, but I put on an old playlist the other day that included "Whore" and it feels like that particular song got about 20% slower while I wasn't looking/listening.
― My name is Mike Cyclops. I work for (bernard snowy), Thursday, 19 January 2023 17:32 (ten months ago) link
Today it was "Dancing and Fire" that caught me off guard with the lines, It's more "Let it out" than "Let it go" / It's not the end, it's just the end of hope.
― My name is Mike Cyclops. I work for (bernard snowy), Friday, 17 February 2023 16:29 (nine months ago) link
O stands for overrated (indie darlings along with yo la tengo or swans)
― CerebralCaustic, Saturday, 18 February 2023 14:00 (nine months ago) link
troll
― StanM, Saturday, 18 February 2023 16:00 (nine months ago) link
Wtf, does CC ever talk about something they like or do they just pop in to shit on threads? Have they been around under a different name before this?
What would bring a troll here to waste their time? It doesn’t seem like there’s enough traffic to be satisfying.
― Cow_Art, Saturday, 18 February 2023 16:15 (nine months ago) link
Well and to counter CCs trolling a bit, call Low whatever you want but I do not know really any other band that I am a fan of that seems to cross the lines across people I know and other musician's tastes in regards to being admired as much as they do. A very very broad cross-section of people love Low, which is cool. Can't imagine finding this band to be lacking personally, but hey that's just me.
― grandavis, Saturday, 18 February 2023 16:56 (nine months ago) link
O stands for overrated (indie darlings along with yo la tengo or swans)― CerebralCaustic, Saturday, February 18, 2023 6:00 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
― CerebralCaustic, Saturday, February 18, 2023 6:00 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
Imagine being this cloth-eared, heartless, and uninspired. I feel pity, and then I flag post.
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Saturday, 18 February 2023 17:18 (nine months ago) link
all caustic no cerebral
― ( X '____' )/ (zappi), Saturday, 18 February 2023 17:23 (nine months ago) link
Alan is doing some sort of minimal funk/r&b band with his son on bass, and buried in there is that he's going to do something with the Bad Plus, which is some serious worlds-colliding shit for me.
https://mndaily.com/275811/arts-entertainment/qa-alan-sparhawk-of-low-on-new-band-derecho/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AP0rP5oWNR8
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 7 March 2023 21:48 (eight months ago) link
ngl i find that depressing. I really dislike the whole schtick of tbp
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Tuesday, 7 March 2023 23:20 (eight months ago) link
Bad Plus rip
― young sussy (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, 7 March 2023 23:24 (eight months ago) link
I get that, but the new sax/guitar version of TBP doesn't really have a shtick, just a style (no more covers for one).
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 7 March 2023 23:25 (eight months ago) link
In fact I'd say they're aggressively anti-schtick now (possibly a corrective measure).
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 7 March 2023 23:34 (eight months ago) link
okay, sorry for not paying attention since the schtick years turned me off in high school— bands should be good from the start. anyway, i am no longer depressed about it because both of you vouching actually means something to me, if i’m being real
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Tuesday, 7 March 2023 23:40 (eight months ago) link
In an ironic turn, Alan is playing bass in Zak Sally's band the Hand, who are opening up for Unwound tonight.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 8 March 2023 00:13 (eight months ago) link
I'm just glad he's out playing, seems healthy.
bands should be good from the start.
Haha, this is a terrifying opinion to me, I'd like to believe there's always a chance for reinvention & redemption.
― change display name (Jordan), Wednesday, 8 March 2023 15:24 (eight months ago) link
I've seen Derecho, I think I posted about it upthread, but was fun, a lot of potential but still felt like they were working out the kinks
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 8 March 2023 15:25 (eight months ago) link
I would love that, too. We need to write some hits and get a few more people to show up before we can leave home but we’re working on it. Recording is in process. https://t.co/b2zmQoqd7O— LOW (@lowtheband) March 7, 2023
― ˈʌglɪɪst preɪ, Wednesday, 8 March 2023 15:42 (eight months ago) link
The Getting-Better Plus
― Evan, Wednesday, 8 March 2023 17:43 (eight months ago) link
Alan's in the Ween cover band playing at Turf Club tonight, wish I could go
― fleeting art that floats! (geoffreyess), Friday, 31 March 2023 19:47 (eight months ago) link
Gotta say, when I'm feeling like shit, I love locking myself in my home office and blasting my favorite Low tracks
― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Thursday, 20 April 2023 01:33 (seven months ago) link
Here’s something I found today that Mim wrote down not long ago. Maybe it’s notes from something she heard or read, but it’s the way she saw things, for sure. pic.twitter.com/Fk80G72DpY— LOW (@lowtheband) April 29, 2023
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 29 April 2023 17:26 (seven months ago) link
Apparently Alan has resumed doing It's Friday I'm in Low?
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr35sj6pLK_/
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 8 May 2023 15:52 (six months ago) link
Alan's djing on The Current rn. Anyone go to the Bad Plus/Marc Ribot show at First Ave that he opened? I'm very curious what he did.
― Random Restaurateur (Jordan), Friday, 16 June 2023 17:29 (five months ago) link
Alan is starting to look like a younger version of Robert Plant
― that's not my post, Friday, 16 June 2023 23:42 (five months ago) link
Maybe they'll start a band together.
― Random Restaurateur (Jordan), Saturday, 17 June 2023 00:15 (five months ago) link
I had the pleasure of interviewing Takiaya Reed of Divide and Dissolve for a Quietus Baker's Dozen the other week; I've seen them before, had dinner with them once, a good bunch (this was when they were a duo, but Takiaya is now the sole core member). They had done various shows with Low coming out of the pandemic and indeed were scheduled to open for them for what would have been their SF show here for Hey What, which, since I missed the Double Negative tour due to circumstances beyond my control, would have been the first time I'd had a chance to see them since the Christmas tour back in 2010. That she picked Hey What for her list didn't surprise, and neither did the fact that she was a little overcome by talking and thinking about them, and so was I, honestly:
https://thequietus.com/articles/33145-takiaya-reed-divide-and-dissolve-bakers-dozen?page=11
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 12 July 2023 17:43 (four months ago) link
Takiaya is an old friend— thanks for sharing
― butt dumb tight my boners got boners (the table is the table), Wednesday, 12 July 2023 18:20 (four months ago) link
It's a very small thing, but I included a drone/ambient cover of "Laser Beam" on my newest album:
https://ianmanire.bandcamp.com/track/laser-beam
I'm donating all sales (CD or digital) to the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance in memory of Mimi.
I tried to record this in the days after she passed, hoping it would pull me out of the depths. I just couldn't do it at the time, but was able to revisit it on her birthday recently and finish it.
― Soundslike, Tuesday, 26 September 2023 22:48 (two months ago) link
this is lovely
― oatly carmichael (m bison), Tuesday, 26 September 2023 23:14 (two months ago) link
Thank you! Low has meant so much to me for 26 years, I hope this stands up as a small tribute.
― Soundslike, Wednesday, 27 September 2023 05:14 (two months ago) link
Did you send a link to Alan? ( lowtheband on X )
― StanM, Wednesday, 27 September 2023 07:58 (two months ago) link
A few days back I reached out to Alan to make sure he was OK with covers on DIY small-scale, and he said he was, and asked thet I share. So I tagged him in the release announcement, and he shared that, which is a huge honor to me : )
https://www.twitter.com/musicophiliamix/status/1706784425663779192
― Soundslike, Wednesday, 27 September 2023 12:36 (two months ago) link
Nice!
― StanM, Wednesday, 27 September 2023 12:56 (two months ago) link
tc psa: Tired Eyes at Turf Club tomorrow night. the one they played two years ago honestly one of my favorite shows ever.
― soup of magpies (geoffreyess), Tuesday, 7 November 2023 03:29 (three weeks ago) link
I wish he would tour the Neil Young tribute. I don't think I've ever seen an act fail covering Neil Young, more should do it.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 7 November 2023 19:02 (three weeks ago) link
Alan is doing a tour I think; and he did a Friday I'm in Low on Instagram the other week, so it's good to see him active.
― I? not I! He! He! HIM! (akm), Tuesday, 7 November 2023 19:07 (three weeks ago) link
it's fantastic, best Neil Young covers I've ever seen. A lot of credit should go to longtime Mpls stalwart Rich Mattson from the Glentrustles, it's as much if not more his thing than Alan's
even more interesting:
Low's twitter said that tonight with be the debut of the Alan Sparhawk Solo Band, apparently a warm up for some European dates. This sounds like it will be different than Derecho
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 7 November 2023 19:09 (three weeks ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMbMWjpjmsA
this is a recording of the single solo show he played earlier this year. new material is very heavy on the vocoder
― ufo, Tuesday, 7 November 2023 23:53 (three weeks ago) link
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/12/alan-sparhawk-review-le-guess-who-festival-utrecht
glad to have this review of his latest show, sounds similar to that opening set at Turf Club. he definitely played the ones identified as JCMF, Get High and Don't Take Your Light, along with some Derecho-y stuff. this captures a lot of what he played, esp. those last two, both very beautiful: "Others are piercingly direct in their desperate evocations of loss, raw and shellshocked, and often repeating single phrases that get heavier with each iteration."
― soup of magpies (geoffreyess), Sunday, 12 November 2023 23:17 (two weeks ago) link
looks like some of the tracks he played were derecho songs? "get high" and "want it back" were released a few months ago
― ufo, Sunday, 12 November 2023 23:37 (two weeks ago) link
Tired Eyes Live at Hook & Ladder Minneapolis MN on 2022-02-26 https://t.co/7BWxNesy8a via @internetarchiveRe-upping and thank you as always @lowtheband @richmattson @TheHookMpls— John Oxley (@jeoxley1) November 18, 2023
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 19 November 2023 14:46 (one week ago) link