Too LOW: ILM Artist Poll #111 - Low - RESULTS

long division is kinda an experiment with that early sound to see just how slow & sparse they could get but i agree the results aren't that compelling overall - the albums either side manage to push that aesthetic in much more interesting directions

'Seceet Name' cemented my emotional connection with Low. And I think it's wonderfully (simply, subtly, warmly) produced, and has some of their strongest songs. I remember finding it odd that (at least in the UK where I was at the time) 'Things We Lost In The Fire' was so beloved and was seemingly their "breakthrough" album, as (while I loved it) it felt more diffuse and a bit more indifferently or at least less richly produced.

I'm guessing 'Trust' isn't going to place, which I also found more coherent and more interestingly produced than 'TWLITF'...

HEY WHAT was my #2, but it really could have been 5th or something. it's in my top 8 for sure! I had Secret Name at 5th, as it goes, but it's probably my 2nd or 3rd all-time listened to low

xxpost in theory Long Division being the album of the 3 that sounds most like Durutti Column should appeal to me the most but I think the songs are mostly less strong and it also misses (for me at least) the beautiful guitar / bass interplay of the debut. Whereas the sound of the debut is totally hypnotic for me.

I always loved 'I Could Live In Hope' and 'Curtain' (the first two albums I heard circa '97), and always felt removed from 'Long Division' somewhat. Though I really love some of their tracks that push the minimalism sans prettiness to the extreme...

https://i.imgur.com/loL1fJX.png
4. The Curtain Hits the Cast
Released in 1996
348 points, 29 voters, 4 #1 votes

The album version of "Caroline" I like much, much less than the far starker and less pretty version on the 'Transmission' EP--maybe my favorite track of theirs for just pure desolation.

Surprised this is only 4th! But I guess it makes sense on reflection (will avoid spelling out my prediction of the top 3 order). This is definitely my most listened-to Low album albeit was not my number 1. Transfixing from the very first note of "Anon".

I would say that it does seem like my top 10 albums ballot and ILM's top ten results will match, which is surprising to me.

it's a masterpiece & could very easily have been my #1

Surprised to see 'Curtain' that low (though I had it lower at #6, personally). Always thought that was the most beloved of fans who jumped off at 'Trust' and 'Drums & Guns,' which I thought was most of their older fans...

My BF always complains when I play any other Low - he dismisses them as the Mamas and the Papas - but loves this album? But I don't know.

a gently flickering, barely there campfire. better at doing 'post-rock' than any 'post-rock' band

it had not occurred to me to ever distinguish between songs sung by Alan, sung songs by Mimi and songs sung by both.

Yeah I don't think it's a thing that makes sense to do with this band. It's not that you can't (wikipedia does) but sometimes the harmonies or counter lines by the other person are stronger than the "lead", it blurs the line of what an Alan-led or Mimi-led song is. The variation in that space is the band's strongest asset imo

xp--has your BF heard 'Double Negative,' 'Drums & Guns,' 'Bombscare,' 'Trust'? Mamas and the Papas wow (though I could see Low doing a great 'California Dreaming" cover)

xp - Agreed - a big part of their longevity for me is tied up in the way they find new ways to complicate that dynamic.

xp--has your BF heard 'Double Negative,' 'Drums & Guns,' 'Bombscare,' 'Trust'? Mamas and the Papas wow (though I could see Low doing a great 'California Dreaming" cover)

― Soundslike, Tuesday, 23 November 2021 00:05 (twenty-five seconds ago) bookmarkflaglink

In fairness I don't tend to play Double Negative or Drums & Guns or Hey What in front of him - it seems like asking for trouble.

https://i.imgur.com/9rMhKsz.png
3. Trust
Released in 2002
386 points, 27 voters, 4 #1 votes

i know there's quite a few huge trust fans here but it was still a little surprising to see it this high. it was the biggest beneficiary of the last two days of ballots though, it really shot up.

for most of the voting period the order of #3 - #7 was somewhere around the following:
I Could Live In Hope
The Curtain Hits the Cast
Secret Name
Trust
HEY WHAT

which felt more expected?

to me Trust at #3 seems about right! (was #4 for me, and it was hard to decide)

it's good but not quite up with their best. the bookends are great but i think "the great destroyer" generally did the lighter parts of the album better & i don't find the darkest parts ("the lamb", "john prine" etc.) super compelling. but i can understand how that is exactly what some want out of low

what do you think about amazing grace?

i don't want that out of low every time - to me, 'the lamb' and 'amazing grace' in particular - but i they can do that kind of thing like no one else

"the bookends are great"

comeon c'mon!

drums & guns was my #2-- it was my LOW gateway drug so it really holds a special place in my heart. TOO LOW

in silence > murderer > violent past is probably the best run on an album they've done

https://i.imgur.com/PQOHE4D.png
2. Things We Lost in the Fire
Released in 2001
390 points, 29 voters, 10 #1 votes

https://i.imgur.com/R6Zs01h.png
1. Double Negative
Released in 2018
402 points, 28 voters, 7 #1 votes

appropriate #1. what a fucking album

wow! had DN as 2 and curtain as 1 but what a result

I'm just going to say that I'm a little surprised and disappointed tbh.

Who else is correct and voted "Curtain" at #1?

these were always the top 2 (though trust got very close in the end) & i was surprised that they were such clear favourites - over half of all ballots voted for one of them as #1

A bit surprised Double Negative is #1 but it was my #1. It's probably in my top 25 albums of all time by this point. Truly remarkable album

Things We Lost in the Fire though... the album leaves me pretty cold and I don't get why it has such a strong rep. I'm happy to take "Laser Beam" and leave the rest

things we lost in the fire feels like the culmination of latter day LOW while double negative feels like a culmination of mid-period LOW. both are incredible albums and i would've been fine with either one taking #1

A little surprised that Long Division didn't make it at all.

Has one of my favorite "creepy" Low songs on it— "Turn." Also "Throw Out the Line" and "Stay".

full results:

1. Double Negative - 402 points, 28 voters, 7 #1 votes
2. Things We Lost in the Fire - 390 points, 29 voters, 10 #1 votes
3. Trust - 386 points, 27 voters, 4 #1 votes
4. The Curtain Hits the Cast - 348 points, 29 voters, 4 #1 votes
5. I Could Live In Hope - 300 points, 25 voters, 2 #1 votes
6. HEY WHAT - 298 points, 27 voters
7. Secret Name - 278 points, 25 voters, 1 #1 vote
8. Drums and Guns - 196 points, 20 voters, 2 #1 votes
9. The Great Destroyer - 178 points, 19 voters
10. Ones and Sixes - 176 points, 18 voters, 2 #1 votes
11. Long Division - 128 points, 17 voters
12. C'mon - 124 points, 15 voters
13. Christmas - 62 points, 8 voters
14. Bombscare - 54 points, 6 voters
15. Songs for a Dead Pilot - 46 points, 5 voters
16. The Invisible Way - 26 points, 4 voters
17. Murderer - 22 points, 2 voters
18. A Lifetime of Temporary Relief - 20 points, 2 voters
19. The Exit Papers - 14 points, 2 voters
19. One More Reason To Forget - 14 points, 1 voters
21. In the Fishtank 7 - 10 points, 2 voters
21. owL Remix - 10 points, 1 voters
23. Live at Eindhoven - 2 points, 1 voters

Oh no

I'm going to be controversial and say that I like them, but I actually am genuinely befuddled by the extreme love for Double Negative...and tbh, the new one.

The general line on Trust is that it is inconsistent but I find it very consistent throughout, and it's Things We Lost... that feels patchy but with very high highs for me.

going to go through covers fairly quickly

10. Lord, Can You Hear Me?
Originally performed by Spacemen 3, written by Pierce
Released on the A Tribute To Spacemen 3 compilation & A Lifetime of Temporary Relief
90 points, 9 voters
Studio version

I'm going to be controversial and say that I like them, but I actually am genuinely befuddled by the extreme love for Double Negative...and tbh, the new one.

― I'm a sovereign jizz citizen (the table is the table), Tuesday, 23 November 2021 00:48 (four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I'm curious to hear you unpack this a bit - you talked in the other thread about C'Mon and The Invisible Way but not these ones.

re: Double Negative, I can't think of another band that has made that kind of leap 25 years into their career

Things We Lost in the Fire though... the album leaves me pretty cold and I don't get why it has such a strong rep...

― Vinnie, Monday, November 22, 2021

I listened a few times through while voting, and in retrospect it seems a little distant and manicured to me. I don't remember thinking that at the time. I know that could be a criticism of Secret Name, too

i can understand longtime fans being somewhat alienated by double negative but at this point it's genuinely up there with like kid a, loveless etc. as far as pop-experimental rock albums go & it has some of their very best tunes even ignoring the production.

Yeah I said this previously but Double Negative has surprisingly indelible melodies.

Very few points separating Trust, Things We Lost, and DN. I had Things We Lost as #1. It was my gateway disc.

voted for more tracks from Trust and The Great Destroyer than from any of their other albums. they were my #2 and #3

Here's my ballot

Songs

Soon
Starfire
Violence
Words
Sunflower
Dinosaur Act
Like A Forest
In Metal
Point of Disgust
Murderer
Just Like Christmas
Long Way Around The Sea
One Special Gift
Breaker
Hatchet
Just Make It Stop
Quorum
Below & Above
Throw Out The Line
Swingin’
Over The Ocean
Lion/Lamb
Two Step
Don’t Understand
Kind of Girl
(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace
Canada
When I Go Deaf
Taking Down The Tree
Missouri

Albums

Things We Lost in the Fire
Secret Name
Long Division
Christmas
The Curtain Hits The Cast
Trust
The Great Destroyer
I Could Live In Hope
Double Negative
Drums and Guns

I’m not sure if double negative was my#1 album vote but it feels to me like the absolute climax of what Low is. I had a hard time picking a song I’d recommend off it because it’s the one Low album that works as a full album imho. It’s a crushing experience if you listen to it in one sitting with a good pair of headphones. No other album of them works in the same context for me. It’s a bit masochistic, while it’s my favorite I’ve only listened to it 3 times fully. You really need to be in the mood to be dragged into the ground.

It was difficult to decide whether I wasn't so hot on the Low 'standards' - top 15 or so - due burning out on them being part of the live set for many years. But no, turns out they just have ridiculous amounts of good material on all the records and they all get crowded out when you're only picking top 30. Great fun though!

Violence
Silver Rider
July
Shame
No Comprende
Will The Night
Whitetail
Nothing But Heart
John Prine
Embrace
Lullaby
Dragonfly
When You Walked
Disappearing
Amethyst
On The Edge Of
Hey
Dancing and Fire
Breaker
White Horses
Little Argument with Myself
Violent Past
Time Is The Diamond
Do You Know How To Waltz?
I Remember
Especially Me
Murderer (EP version)
I Hear... Goodnight
Witches
Last Snowstorm of the Year

Things We Lost In The Fire
Trust
Drums and Guns
Double Negative
HEY WHAT
The Great Destroyer
I Could Live In Hope
Secret Name
The Invisible Way
Curtain Hits The Cast

Thanks a lot for running this ufo, really enjoyed reading the different takes on the Low catalogue.

Dinosaur Act
Sunflower
In the Drugs
Do You Know How to Waltz?
Sleep at the Bottom
Immune
Slide
California
Shame
Murderer
Weight of Water
More
Shots & Ladders
Because You Stood Still
Lazy
Venus
Medicine Magazines
Fly
Bright
(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace
Cut
Over the Ocean
Everybody's Song
You See Everything
Like a Forest
Time Is the Diamond
Joan of Arc
On the Edge of
Little Argument With Myself
Starfire

Things We Lost in the Fire
Trust
I Could Live in Hope
HEY WHAT
A Lifetime of Temporary Relief
Double Negative
The Curtain Hits the Cast
The Great Destroyer
Secret Name
C'mon

my ballots:

Lullaby
Murderer
Over The Ocean
Do You Know How to Waltz?
Tempest
Just Stand Back
Always Up
Fly
Always Trying to Work It Out
White Horses
Breaker
Laugh
The Plan
Quorum
Gentle
Pissing
Whore
Coattails
Down
Violence
Hey
Nothing But Heart
When I Go Deaf
Violent Past
Rome (Always In The Dark)
Landslide
Will the Night
Shots & Ladders
More
In Metal

Double Negative
The Curtain Hits the Cast
The Great Destroyer
HEY WHAT
I Could Live In Hope
Things We Lost in the Fire
Drums and Guns
Ones and Sixes
C'mon
Trust

Down by the River
I'm On Fire
Let's Stay Together
Nowhere Man
Transmission
Stay

I forgot to post my albums and covers, which were ranked:

Albums:
The Curtain Hits the Cast
Trust
I Could Live in Hope
Things We Lost in the Fire
Secret Name
Long Division
Drums & Guns
Double Negative
HEY WHAT
Bombscare EP

Covers:
Blue-Eyed Devil
Stay
Carnival Queen
I Started a Joke
Little Drummer Boy
Silent Night
Down by the River
Surfer Girl
...I Love
Open Arms

My ballots:
Songs (in ranked order 1-30):
Weight Of Water
Whitetail
Murderer
Do You Know How To Waltz?
Cut
Two-Step
Lies
Lazy
Dinosaur Act
Fly
Canada
You See Everything
Drag
Congregation
Pissing Low
Over the Ocean
Laser Beam
(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace
Transmission
Point of Disgust
Alone
Nothing But Heart
Breaker
The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)
Down By The River
Starfire
Lullaby
Stay (Rihanna cover)
Days Like These Low
Just Make It Stop

Albums:
Secret Name
I Could Live In Hope
Things We Lost In The Fire
Ones and Sixes
Trust
C'Mon
The Curtain Hits The Cast
Drums and Guns
Hey What
Double Negative

Covers:
Transmission
Down By The River
Stay
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Surfer Girl
Lord, Can You Hear Me?
Back Home Again
I'm on Fire
Let's Stay Together
Nowhere Man

Thanks ufo for picking up the ball

My ballots (yeah, I thought it was 50)

Over The Ocean
John Prine
Silver Rider (Murderer ep version)
Do You Know How To Waltz?
La La La Song
Joan of Arc
(That’s How You Sing) Amazing Grace
Little Argument With Myself
Monkey
David & Jude
Last Snowstorm Of The Year
Venus
Will the Night
I Started A Joke
Two-Step
The Plan
Throw Out The Line
Weight Of Water
If You Were Born Today (Song for Little Baby Jesus)
Just Like Christmas
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Transmission
Peanut Butter Toast and American Bandstand
In The Drugs
Dinosaur Act
Soon
Alone
Especially Me
Stars Gone Out
Always Fade
Long Way Around The Sea
When I Go Deaf
Violent Past
Blue Christmas
I Remember
Sunflower
Pretty People
From Your Place On Sunset
Try To Sleep
Don’t Understand
Down By The River
Always Trying To Work It Out
Lazy
Into You
Pissing
Violence
Hand So Small
Caroline
Laser Beam
Condescend

Curtain Hits The Cast
Trust
Secret Name
One More Reason To Forget
Songs For A Dead Pilot
OWL
The Great Destroyer
The Exit Papers
Long Division
Things We Lost In The Fire

I Started A Joke
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Transmission
Blue Christmas
Down By The River
Surfer Girl
Long Long Long
Fearless
Carnival Queen
Lord Can You Hear Me

Thanks so much, ufo! Love the images.

My ballot below. Thought for a bit I was Mr Hive Mind when it comes to Low, given my #1 LP and #1 cover were also the poll's #1s. However, I didn't for any of the top 7 in songs.

Songs

In Metal
Just Make It Stop
Canada
In The Drugs
Days Like These
Don’t Carry It All
Try To Sleep
Because You Stood Still
Those Girls (Song For Nico)
Belarus
Lies
Way Behind (w/ Spring Heel Jack)
The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)
Below & Above
Monkey
Hatchet
You See Everything
Sea
Whitetail
Be There
Death of a Salesman
Joan of Arc
Overhead
Violence
Sleep At the Bottom (w/Transient Waves & Piano Magic)
Weight Of Water
Prisoner
What Part Of Me
Venus
Plastic Cup

Cover versions

Down By The River (w/ Dirty Three)
Fearless
Little Drummer Boy
Back Home Again
…I Love
Sunshine
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Heartbeat
Lord, Can You Hear Me?
Transmission

Albums

Double Negative
HEY WHAT
Trust
Bombscare EP (w/ Spring Heel Jack)
Drums and Guns
Christmas
Things We Lost In The Fire
In The Fishtank 7 (w/ Dirty Three)
Long Division
C’mon

Songs:

2-Step
Laser Beam
Words
Murderer
Just Like Christmas
Stars Gone Out
Do You Know How to Waltz?
Tempest
Always Trying to Work It Out
Medicine & Magazine
Down
Starfire
Violence
Over the Ocean
Nothing But Heart
July
Nightingale
Violent Past
The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)
Be There
Sleep at the Bottom
Venus
Silver Rider
Anon
No Comprende
Lullaby
Quorum
Hey
Condescend
(That’s How You Sing) Amazing Grace

Albums:

Things We Lost in the Fire
Double Negative
The Curtain Hits the Cast
C’mon
HEY WHAT
I Could Live in Hope
Long Division
Secret Name
Songs for a Dead Pilot
Ones and Sixes

Songs:

2-Step
Laser Beam
Words
Murderer
Just Like Christmas
Stars Gone Out
Do You Know How to Waltz?
Tempest
Always Trying to Work It Out
Medicine & Magazine
Down
Starfire
Violence
Over the Ocean
Nothing But Heart
July
Nightingale
Violent Past
The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)
Be There
Sleep at the Bottom
Venus
Silver Rider
Anon
No Comprende
Lullaby
Quorum
Hey
Condescend
(That’s How You Sing) Amazing Grace

Albums:

Things We Lost in the Fire
Double Negative
The Curtain Hits the Cast
C’mon
HEY WHAT
I Could Live in Hope
Long Division
Secret Name
Songs for a Dead Pilot
Ones and Sixes

Thanks ufo for your hard work on this poll!

I don't know why I left Murderer off my ballot (and voted for the blander Belarus from the same album) but I guess that's what happens when you compile your ballot quickly and mostly on instinct.

Songs:

Violent Past
When I Go Deaf
Laser Beam
Always Trying to Work It Out
Broadway (So Many People)
Lullaby
Closer
Quorum
Dinosaur Act
Words
In Metal
Canada
Shots and Ladders
John Prine
Monkey
California
Landslide
Nothing But Heart
Tempest
Try To Sleep
Fly
Over the Ocean
Do You Know How to Waltz
Two Step
Sunflower
Walk Into the Sea
Belarus
Especially Me
Plastic Cup
On My Own

Albums:

Double Negative
The Great Destroyer
Things We Lost In the Fire
I Could Live In Hope
Trust
Drums and Guns
Christmas
C'mon
The Invisible Way
The Curtain Hits the Cast

I didn't do a relisten before voting. With Christmas on just now I think Little Drummer Boy might have got top 20. SO MUCH NOISE.

There's a few i haven't heard but no way do Low have 10(!!) albums that are even better than Long Division.

i might be biased cause it was the first one i picked up, but i was under the impression it was their highest regarded release for a time pre-TWLITF? Secret Name or maybe Christmas was their current release then.

I *love* Long Division AND, according to my ballot, therr e are a solid six Low albums that are better.