Indeed!
― Soundslike, Friday, 26 November 2021 16:23 (two years ago) link
Btw I don't know if this has been talked about but all the lockdown instagram concerts have been compiled here: http://itsfridayiminlow.com/ Pretty cool!
― ceci n'est pas une messi (cajunsunday), Friday, 26 November 2021 16:34 (two years ago) link
"all i want to say about this early v. late low business is that if these guys had made 13 albums that all sounded like “curtain” (which was my #1 album vote tho it was truly neck and neck with DN), i’d have lost interest in them years ago"
Not only that, but whichever hardcore fans were left caring after 13 albums and 25 years of the same thing would *still* be favouring the "early stuff", and stacking their ballots with songs from the first five albums, making for a fairly boring and predictable poll.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 26 November 2021 17:00 (two years ago) link
In 1969, shortly after In A Silent Way’s release, Davis was relaxing on the patio of his New York brownstone when an elderly man called the trumpeter over. “Miles Davis, I love that music of yours” he said, “but I don’t like that new shit you’re into.” Miles turned to him, and tersely replied, “Well shall I wait for you, motherfucker?”
Feels appropriate for Low.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Friday, 26 November 2021 17:18 (two years ago) link
Do strings count as "cool effects"? Because I love "Closer" and I hope to see it place in the top 15 today
― Jimmy Iovine Eat World (bernard snowy), Friday, 26 November 2021 17:22 (two years ago) link
In 1969, shortly after In A Silent Way’s release, Davis was relaxing on the patio of his New York brownstone when an elderly man called the trumpeter over. “Miles Davis, I love that music of yours” he said, “but I don’t like that new shit you’re into.” Miles turned to him, and tersely replied, “Well shall I wait for you, motherfucker?”Feels appropriate for Low.― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Friday, November 26, 2021 9:18 AM (seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Friday, November 26, 2021 9:18 AM (seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
How about "I'm not totally impressed by a band using tools that electronic musicians and others have been using for years"
― I'm a sovereign jizz citizen (the table is the table), Friday, 26 November 2021 17:29 (two years ago) link
Some of the songs are great, some of them are embarrassing (imho), and framing it as some sort of Ludditism is wrong-headed.
I have a deep emotional attachment to the early records, and that bias isn't really going to be shaken by the new ones, despite my appreciation for them.
― I'm a sovereign jizz citizen (the table is the table), Friday, 26 November 2021 17:32 (two years ago) link
i love both eras (very early and very recent), and some of the others in between. in the same way that table has a deep emotional attachment to the old ones, a new listener could very well have an even deeper emotional attachment to the new ones, while never quite feeling what's so special about the old ones.
i don't know, funny to think to say on a board full of paid and unpaid critics, on a thread about ranking inherently subjective things in an objective fashion, but it makes no sense to me to ever try to objectively rank things that are inherently subjective. it's a fun exercise to see where it all lands though
― just staying (Karl Malone), Friday, 26 November 2021 17:46 (two years ago) link
it's like ranking colors and then disagreeing about what someone picked
― just staying (Karl Malone), Friday, 26 November 2021 17:47 (two years ago) link
I like the early colors better.
; )
To me it's a testament to the strength of the 2nd and 4th phases of Low that I love the music so much *given* I have a deep emotional attachment to the early work. Musically I love the 2nd and 4th phase as much or more, when played together with the 1st phase. I love that I feel like the band grew and changed, like a person would--like I hope I have--over all these years.
― Soundslike, Friday, 26 November 2021 17:55 (two years ago) link
There are many acts--maybe most?--where one would say "the early stuff is better" and most people would agree.
I find it fascinating that Low is one of the rare acts beloved for a singular early vision who *hasn't* been "early stuffed" in most estimations.
― Soundslike, Friday, 26 November 2021 17:57 (two years ago) link
xposts I can totally see someone throwing down over a recently-named Crayola or Pantone shade ranking higher than, say, yellow (Soundslike beat me to it lol).
― cwkiii, Friday, 26 November 2021 18:02 (two years ago) link
xp
i'm not sure what your phases of low are, but are they kind of like this?
1: low born as a fully complete and perfect idea. ICLIH - Curtain.2: Albini albums. Secret Name - Trust.3: Fridmann albums. Great Destroyer - Drums and Guns4: The "honestly I thought they were on their way out" era. C'mon - The Invisible Way5: BJ albums. Ones & Sixes - HEY WHAT
― just staying (Karl Malone), Friday, 26 November 2021 18:02 (two years ago) link
that’s how i divide it up lol
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 26 November 2021 18:04 (two years ago) link
though trust isn’t an albini album. it’s just kinda hanging out there in the center of things
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 26 November 2021 18:05 (two years ago) link
"I'm not totally impressed by a band using tools that electronic musicians and others have been using for years"
But when they were just using guitars/drums/vocals in 1994, yeah others had been doing that for years, but they were doing something new and special with old tools. And the same can be applied to how they are using the tools employed on Double Negative and HEY WHAT.
Also, as KM said, this is all subjective!
― cwkiii, Friday, 26 November 2021 18:05 (two years ago) link
the trust era, when they made the greatest album of all time trust
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 26 November 2021 18:06 (two years ago) link
Shoot, albini didn’t produce trust?! Not sure why I always thought he did.
― just staying (Karl Malone), Friday, 26 November 2021 18:10 (two years ago) link
i forgot Fridmann did The Great Destroyer as well. Could definitely see people not liking those few because of his involvement. His name seems to spark immediate hatred for some people.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Friday, 26 November 2021 18:11 (two years ago) link
The early stuff is my favorite too. I think it could be argued that the early stuff captures the essence of Low the best. However, like a lot of indie, it's insular and staunchly limited in a way that the newer stuff isn't, which is why fans who got into them with TWLITF or later might have trouble connecting with.
Anyway, nothing about the poll results suggest to me that the early stuff is being neglected in favor of the hip new material.
― toneburst country, Friday, 26 November 2021 18:32 (two years ago) link
I am most invested in the gambit of the "fully complete and perfect idea" that then starts to spool into abstraction and electronics - i.e. Dead Pilot and Bombscare, the remix album (the latter is not great in retrospect but just the idea of it). So I disagree w/ toneburst that they were insular/limited in that era. I liked Secret Name OK when it came out, but in retrospect it felt to me like Low's normalization into a more rock/indie idiom, as signaled by Albini then Fridmann. I usually checked out what they were doing, and sometimes found things to like, but I was no so longer invested in them. I "returned" as it were with Double Negative, though listening through to everything I did worry that it's Burton's production that I'm into, or Burton/Low. I do usually turn off when things start to sound too rock or too angelic, and prefer them when things get more fragged out.
― Freeze Instr., Friday, 26 November 2021 18:38 (two years ago) link
*no longer so invested
― Freeze Instr., Friday, 26 November 2021 18:40 (two years ago) link
Fridmann is so associated with pushing things into the red I can't imagine the last couple without those albums.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 26 November 2021 18:40 (two years ago) link
They code really differently to me - Fridmann is modeled on Neil Young, Burton on DAW-noise.
― Freeze Instr., Friday, 26 November 2021 18:50 (two years ago) link
Not being a Frid-fan though I may have that all wrong.
― Freeze Instr., Friday, 26 November 2021 18:52 (two years ago) link
I know it's all subjective, and you're right, Karl. I think it's just that many tracks from the early records literally send me into profound states of listening ecstasy and/or emotional presence. Only two or three tracks from each of the past three records have a similar effect.
This is a good summation:
I am there for all of 1 and 2, elements of 3, none of 4 (excepting one or two tracks), and sizable portions of 5. I truly do think that one of the reasons why I have problems the newer records is that I'm a little unsure of their lyrics— tracks like "Always Trying to Work it Out" can be taken in a few ways, but rather than its lyrical ambiguity being its strength (like on many notable tracks from earlier records), its ambiguity feels evasive.
― I'm a sovereign jizz citizen (the table is the table), Friday, 26 November 2021 18:55 (two years ago) link
I think Hey What is >> Double Neg and Ones & Sixes
― licorice in the front, pizza in the rear (Whiney G. Weingarten), Friday, 26 November 2021 18:56 (two years ago) link
I truly do think that one of the reasons why I have problems the newer records is that I'm a little unsure of their lyrics— tracks like "Always Trying to Work it Out" can be taken in a few ways, but rather than its lyrical ambiguity being its strength (like on many notable tracks from earlier records), its ambiguity feels evasive.
this is interesting to me because (and yes i know this is subjective) i find '...work it out' one of the most moving songs on the album from a purely lyrics standpoint - like a lot of that album generally it mirrored a lot of what i was thinking/feeling in 2018 (malaise, frustrated connections w/others, even political anguish w/ that "everybody says the war is over" line)
― donna rouge, Friday, 26 November 2021 19:28 (two years ago) link
haha, honestly table i think we have pretty similar takes on low, in the glass half-full / half-empty kind of way. like this:
Only two or three tracks from each of the past three records have a similar effect.
i think that's still impressive! there are very few albums that have any tracks at all that can move me in the same way, so their adding of a few more songs to their god-tier canon every couple years like a clock is pretty unusual and commendable imo.
― just staying (Karl Malone), Friday, 26 November 2021 19:42 (two years ago) link
61. Nightingale - 176 points, 5 voters61. I Remember - 176 points, 5 voters60. Gentle - 177 points, 6 voters58. Spanish Translation - 186 points, 7 voters, 1 #1 vote58. Like a Forest - 186 points, 6 voters57. Days Like These - 202 points, 7 voters55. John Prine - 206 points, 7 voters55. Belarus - 206 points, 6 voters54. Soon - 216 points, 8 voters, 1 #1 vote53. Sleep at the Bottom - 233 points, 8 voters, 1 #1 vote52. Dancing and Blood - 237 points, 7 voters50. More - 238 points, 10 voters, 1 #1 vote50. Especially Me - 238 points, 9 voters, 1 #1 vote49. Immune - 250 points, 5 voters, 1 #1 vote48. Anon - 257 points, 7 voters47. Just Like Christmas - 266 points, 7 voters46. Venus - 270 points, 11 voters45. Always Up - 271 points, 6 voters44. Lies - 273 points, 9 voters43. July - 274 points, 10 voters42. California - 276 points, 9 voters41. The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off) - 277 points, 9 voters
40. Tempest - 278 points, 7 voters39. Last Snowstorm of the Year - 279 points, 8 voters37. Whitetail - 285 points, 8 voters37. Landslide - 285 points, 11 voters35. Weight of Water - 291 points, 9 voters, 1 #1 vote35. No Comprende - 291 points, 11 voters34. Broadway (So Many People) - 302 points, 7 voters33. The Lamb - 303 points, 7 voters, 1 #1 vote31. Will the Night - 310 points, 11 voters, 1 #1 vote31. Violent Past - 310 points, 10 voters, 1 #1 vote30. White Horses - 331 points, 10 voters29. Shots & Ladders - 352 points, 14 voters28. Breaker - 370 points, 13 voters27. Shame - 394 points, 13 voters26. In The Drugs - 397 points, 14 voters
25. Always Trying to Work It Out - 400 points, 12 voters24. Monkey - 405 points, 13 voters23. The Plan - 417 points, 12 voters22. Coattails - 424 points, 13 voters21. Starfire - 428 points, 15 voters, 1 #1 vote20. Fly - 433 points, 12 voters, 1 #1 vote19. Quorum - 438 points, 14 voters18. Dinosaur Act - 440 points, 14 voters, 1 #1 vote17. Hey - 461 points, 15 voters16. Pissing - 479 points, 16 voters
― ufo, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:10 (two years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/KSvhwjC.png15. Silver RiderReleased on the Murderer EP (2003) & The Great Destroyer (2005)495 points, 13 voters, 3 #1 votes56 points for the Murderer EP versionThe Great Destroyer versionMurderer EP version
wow, the best song ever
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 26 November 2021 20:13 (two years ago) link
amazingly i forgot to vote for it
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 26 November 2021 20:14 (two years ago) link
I was a murderer version voter and I think my feelings are well documented.
― Long enough attention span for a Stephen Bissette blu-ray extra (aldo), Friday, 26 November 2021 20:15 (two years ago) link
i love both renditions. album version is slower iirc? it was the first i encountered and maybe that’s why i don’t prefer one
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 26 November 2021 20:16 (two years ago) link
6 of my top ten haven't placed yet and I suspect two of them won't.
― Long enough attention span for a Stephen Bissette blu-ray extra (aldo), Friday, 26 November 2021 20:17 (two years ago) link
think i somewhat prefer the murderer version these days but either way, beautiful song
― donna rouge, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:22 (two years ago) link
interestingly we won't see more #1 votes for a track than that
― ufo, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:24 (two years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/wVuj72c.png14. Nothing But HeartReleased on C'mon (2011)506 points, 13 votersStudio version
― ufo, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:25 (two years ago) link
alan's most arena-rock guitar heroics? it rules
― ufo, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:27 (two years ago) link
Murderer version is sparser and more harmonically ambiguous whereas the album version has a more conventional chord structure iirc. I think they played it even slower when they did it live.
― toneburst country, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:34 (two years ago) link
wow, figured this one would be top ten
― donna rouge, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:37 (two years ago) link
(it was my #2)
https://i.imgur.com/f9kLt6w.png13. LazyReleased on I Could Live In Hope (1994)507 points, 15 votersStudio version
― ufo, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:40 (two years ago) link
How these are not top 5?! So many of Low's best songs feel like naming and giving catharsis to microcosms of human behavioural experiences - ugly, violent, beautiful - and nothing but heart just feels to me like sarcasm and narcissism and I'm so very into it.
― matt h, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:46 (two years ago) link
my first low song!!! i didn’t vote for it but it’s still incredible
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 26 November 2021 20:46 (two years ago) link
LAZY!!! my early era gateway. I could live in that guitar sound.
― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:54 (two years ago) link
https://i.imgur.com/Lb2CP2q.png12. CanadaReleased on Trust (2002)522 points, 14 votersMusic videoStudio version
― ufo, Friday, 26 November 2021 20:55 (two years ago) link
this is one i didn't at all expect to see this high. it's fine but there are at least two or three songs on the great destroyer that improve on its general vibe
no in fact this song is incredibly dope
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Friday, 26 November 2021 20:56 (two years ago) link