Low: Classic or classic?

The Invisible Way is the only Low release I find dull - I choose to blame Tweedy. ("Holy Ghost" is lovely, though.)

I think it's fair to blame Tweedy (as much as I'm sure he meant well) considering it was followed by two of their absolute best.

it sounds fine, I don't mean to knock him in that way, but in the same way that some bands are best suited by a hands-off approach, Low seem to do their best work with producers who are willing to act as active collaborators. (How the Albini albums worked out so well, I have no idea, beyond the fact that the songs were all killers.)

Maybe the Albini albums work so well because he allowed them to strip themselves right back to a raw state. Great songs coming through unadorned, connecting directly and without the washy gauze of the Kramer era.

just another casual (at best) Low fan here weighing in to say this new album sounds amazing

"tonight" is my favorite low song

has there been a low poll, i'd vote in a low poll

There's one coming up apparently!

Trust is a fantastic headphones listen... I recall listening to it, years ago, sitting up late at night drinking beer and marveling at its subtle details.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/sep/21/low-we-want-to-punch-new-holes-in-the-possibilities-of-music

Big Fennesz - Venice vibes off this now. Absolutely great.

poor sucker is so good

I'm so in love with this album, and so happy to see Low--the one "indie rock" band I've continued to enjoy since 1996--do something this great 25 years into their journey. It's a soundspace and an emotional territory I find deeply compelling, and the only way I could respond was with a mix that tries to get to the same spaces. It can't really sound like Low--they're too unique. But I hope it causes some of the same feelings for others as this album gives me.

https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/musicophilia_00_various_cancels-out-a-tribute-to-double-negative_1958-2018_cover.jpg

Various – ‘Cancels Out‘
(A Tribute to Low’s ‘Double Negative’) | (1958-2018)

01 [00:00]
Gottfried Michael Koenig – “Function Blau” (1970)
David Bowie – “Neukoln” (1977)
Codeine – “Pea” (1990)

02 [05:10]
Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man – “Mysteries” (2003)
Bernard Parmegiani – “Matieres Induites” (1975)
Alan Sparhawk – “1:45” (2006)

03 [09:55]
Dead Can Dance – “The Fatal Impact” (1984)
Daniel Menche – “Concussions (CD1 Track 2)” (2006)
Max Richter – “Laika’s Journey” (2002)

04 [14:45]
Monton – “Hz Waltz'” (1982)
Flaming Lips – “Turning Violent” (2013)
Tod Dockstader – “Wah” (2005)

05 [19:30]
Pierre Henry – “Negation” (1988)
Radian – “Kinetakt” (2009)

06 [24:10]
Tia Blake – “Yellow Hair” (1976)
David Toop & Max Eastley – “Hydrophone” (1975)

07 [28:20]
Charles Hayward – “Thames Water Authority” (1989)
Arthur Russell – “Answers Me” (1986)

08 [33:40]
Balmorhea – “On the Weight Of Night” (2010)
Heldon – “Bolero” (1979)

09 [38:05]
Hilary Woods – “Kith” (2018)
Neu – “Elanoizan” (1986)

10 [43:30]
Tanakh – “Tells” (2002)
Shellyan Orphan – “Host” (2008)
Iannis Xenakis – “Concret PH” (1958)

11 [50:20]
Susumu Yokota – “Light Of the Sun” (2003)
Bark Psychosis – “Dr. Innocuous Ketamoid” (2004)

12 [53:45]
Zola Jesus – “Doma” (2017)
Earth – “Mirage” (2005)
Pauline Oliveros, Stuart Dempster, Panaiotis – “Lear” (1989)

[Total Time: 60:00]

Give it a listen here: https://musicophilia.wordpress.com/2018/09/24/low-tribute/

inspired! thanks!

honestly played the whole show kind of angry
saw one of those at SXSW...it was amazing.

This just might be my favorite album ever of Low's. It's everything I loved about 'Drums & Guns' (my previous favorite) but just taken deeper into the wilderness. . .

I'm no expert on Low's catalog, but does anyone else think this one zips by a lot faster than their other albums? Maybe because it flows like one continuous piece?

I'm in for a Low poll

This album is gonna mess with my head in a tracks poll cause I think of it as one long song still

Soundslike, thanks for that! Can I just say how much I've been enjoying your mixtapes since discovering your blog? <3 Can't wait to listen to this one.

Some cool photos here: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/low-celebrated-double-negative-with-3-national-sawdust-shows-pics-setlists/#photogallery-1=1

this new LP is fucking seminal. it's so immediate, direct, arresting. seeing them in manchester cathedral next week -- really excited to hear how these songs will work live. also if they play anything from the first three LPs i'll probably cry. hahaha

I saw them in Leeds over the summer. They played six songs from the album in a more band-style, worked well. No idea if they’ve changed the arrangements since.

Haven't been able to stop listening to 'Double Negative' and thinking about what Low has meant to me for 22 years. I'm so happy for them that it's been so well received, as it certainly wasn't the most "sure thing" move they could've made at this point. The only thing I quibble with is the notion I perceive in a lot of (positive) response to the album that it's somehow a major shirt, stylistically and emotionally; whereas to me it seems like nothing so much as a culmination of exactly the experimentation and emotional complexity that has been present in Low's music since the very beginning.

With all that in mind, I ended up putting together two mixes that explore the fundamental duality/dichotomy of Low, between their beauty and their unease, their hopefulness and their uncertainty. They are for me a band of light and dark, bleeding into one another, a battle between both but also a balance. So the "rules" were: (1) track maximum from any LP/EP/single, and sequenced in chronological order but chosen for coherence and flow as a mix. So while they have a lot of my personal favorite tracks, they're neither a "best of" nor a "personal favorites" in the traditional sense.

https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/low_a-light-in-darkness_1994-2018_cover.jpg?w=1024

https://musicophilia.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/low_a-light-in-darkness_1994-2018_tracklist.jpg?w=1024p

^this. Great idea and interpretation. I was going to say yes to including Drag and Down By The River and Belarus and... then I realized I would be saying yes to pretty much all the songs you picked.

xpost: very interested & would like to hear the mixes! Are you going to put them on Musicophilia?

It was surprisingly quick to come together--probably because the parameters I set up were more specific than "my favorite Low tracks". Something structureless like that would be impossible because there are at least four or five tracks from everything up through 2007 or so (and the newest album) that would qualify as a "favorite".

I don't think I'll put it up on the blog, because as a single-artist thing it feels a bit unethical. But if folks swear they own tons of Low already, or promise to go buy the new albums, I'll share it with anyone interested if they message me. Or who knows, maybe all these tracks are on Spotify and could "playlist" it? I did some segues/edits on my personal version, but nothing too intense.

Very interesting read here--Alan Sparhawk "ranking" Low's albums, not by his favorites per se but in terms of how much they challenged them, progressed their sounds, etc.:

https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/9k7z9d/rank-your-records-low-alan-sparhawk

Noticing 'Double Negative' wasn't included, I asked Low via Twitter where it would rank--Alan said they hadn't been allowed to include it for some reason, but would rank it #1.

they never let them rank the new record in that series

I am going to see them tomorrow night in Berlin. Very much looking forward to the concert. Big question: How will the new songs work live, are they going to use the same effects as on record?

They've said in various things I've seen that no, they don't try to recreate the recorded versions live; rather, they approach them live as distinctive versions, produced with more or less the components they have always used. Which I think is valid--and I'm very eager to hear them live next month. Curious what you find tomorrow night!

Enjoyed that piece, really glad that Drums & Guns is his favorite too

The show was excellent as has always been the case when I have seen them. The three concerts (touring "Things We Lost in the Fire", "C'mon" and "The Invisible Way") I had attended before had all been in quite small, almost cosy places, this time it was a bigger venue. So the atmosphere was different, more like in a usual rock concert, less spiritual and quiet than the other times. People did not hold their breath. Everyone was not spell bound and mute like when the pastor gives the sermon in a church like it had been the other times. Still the audience was silent when they played but expressive - applause, whistling and shouts - in between songs. My favourite ones were "The Innocents" and the phantastic "Fly" from the new album. Just to listen to Mimi intonating that one syllable is incredibly uplifting. There was a boring instrumental in the middle of the set (I don't know the name) where they played the same chord for at least ten minutes. It was kind of noisy but not very loud, so it was ok. In general I liked Alan's guitar work with quite some distortion which reminded me a lot of Neil Young especially on the "Dead Man" soundtrack. Somehow Low tmake me think of My Bloody Valentine, especially the way they marry noisy parts - where they are fortunately by far not as loud as MBV - and simple, otherworldly beautiful melodies and vocal harmonies. They could not escape the encore, they finished off the concert with "Murderer". According to the setlist 9 out of 20 songs were from "Double Negative", somehow I would have guessed only three or four would have been new. "Double Negative" for me is already a classic. With Low this kind of thing happens to me every time they tour a new album. Btw they did some electronic trickery with some new songs but no voice treatments which was fine with me. As always in Low concerst I was amazed that people hardly moved, ok they do not really make dance music but there are still beats. Something else I was thinking during the show is the fact that I really have a soft spot for bands which are trios. Others being Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr., Galaxie 500, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Meat Puppets, Nada Surf, Nirvana, The Police (at the time), Wipers, ZZ Top, 16 Horsepower etc.

I can see why they might hate C'Mon given where they were in their lives at the time, but wow that album is top three for me.

yeah at the time i was disappointed with it as a follow-up to D&G but now i consider it one of their best

Of the albums I know I consider C'mon the second best after the new one. I like Drums and Guns fine but besides Breaker and Take Your Time I do not find any really outstanding songs on it.

Dust on the Window is my fave on D&G, I love Murderer too but I slightly prefer the EP version.

“Murderer” is one of my favourite Low songs, if not one of my favourite songs full stop, but I’ve never really taken to ‘Drums and Guns’ as a whole.

Knowing they're not atheists gives their sinister or doubting songs about religion and God (see also "Little Argument With Myself") an extra kick for sure

Both ep songs that are on 'proper' records are superior on the ep imo.

I think I know why Murderer is their standard encore these days.

The Book of Mormon: "It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief."

In 2003 when they wrote the song they were thinking about another POTUS, I suppose.

Murderer is absolutely one of Low's best songs IMO. The single version they put out before Drums and Guns is good too.

I think it is a nice song but firstly I don't think it is transcendental like for example "In the Drugs", "Monkey" or "Fly" and secondly its half-life is quite short. The diminishing returns by repeated listening are immense.

The Murderer EP is one of their best releases def. Didn't mind paying the relatively high price to own that

C'mon is probably my least favourite Low album tho?!? After The Great Destroyer and Drums and Guns it just seemed like by-the-numbers. I've never gone back to it to give it another chance tho.

murderer is absolutely transcendental in my experience—hearing this song and mark hollis yelling "take my freedom" are the two times i've ever questioned my atheism

re: c'mon Especially Me is one of my favorite mimi songs ever. also Nothing But Heart is just incredible

Nothing But Heart unaccountably makes me think of The Lost Boys. Sparhawk's descending guitar line recalls Cry Little Sister, I think.

Especially Me is amazing. I like C'Mon far more than I like Invisible Wilco

Personally I rate C'mon very high, but I can understand if it's not someone's favorite. I can't see how it could be ranked lower than Invisible Way. Which I don't mean as a major dis to IW, only that if your complaint is that C'mon is "by the numbers," then IW is more by the numbers.

Breaker and Nothing But Heart are probably my favorite Low songs (and favorite use of Nels Cline on the latter).

Sparhawk's descending guitar line recalls Cry Little Sister, I think.

Oh god, you're right, I think that's been nagging at me for years