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

i knew that would be number 1

Ah yeah not such a surprise after all then, absolutely deserved.

I’d honestly written this song off for placing once the 20 and under results started showing. Really really great to see it’s placement here.

https://i.imgur.com/wfwvABt.png
2. Do You Know How To Waltz?
Released on The Curtain Hits The Cast (1996)
1002 points, 25 voters, 1 #1 vote
60 points & 1 #1 vote for the Rock the Garden 2013 live version
Studio version
Live at Rock the Garden 2013

https://i.imgur.com/dM2tJ9o.png
1. Murderer
Released on the Murderer EP (2003) & Drums and Guns (2007)
1156 points, 27 voters, 2 #1 votes
114 points, 3 voters for the Murderer EP version
Drums and Guns version
Murderer EP version
Live at NRMAL 2016

i recommend everyone itt fall in love with “tonight” and never look back

called it

wait y’all knew murderer would be no. 1? i assumed waltz

Wow. I know “Waltz” is beloved but I’d honestly like to hear from others about giving “Murderer” such high marks.

XP completely shocked. It was my #1 and had no thought it was in that circle of reverence. I knew the EP version was preferred by the heads but that was it.

there's something about the mellotron(?) & bass progression & the opening lines that makes it so definitive, final, resolute. it feels like the complete epitome, like the last song they could have ever written. they could have stopped there and it would have been perfect, but im so glad they didnt.

2-Step was my #1

Not surprised nor mad at the top 3.

Biggest shock for me is that “Stars Gone Out” didn’t place.

oh totally, that was my #2

Two Step is incredible. Never been much of a fan of Do You Know. I have no opinion of Murderer really, I mean it's fine but.

Phh. My number one didn't even place.

I'm also pretty shocked that "Murderer" took it, especially over the towering "Waltz". No complaints though, both would be worthy winners

Anyone think "Over the Ocean" was inspired by "Purple Rain"? Very similar chords, sparse guitar + drums, water theme?? I've had association between those songs since I heard them

Thanks for running the poll ufo!

This was the performance that pushed me from casual to LOWRULES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSbR0_gdc60

i was one of the #1 votes for "murderer" (specifically the EP version) - i love the way the anger and disillusionment reaches this intense boiling point - AND I'VE READ YOUR BOOKS! - and then slowly ebbs right when you think it's going to explode. "waltz" was in my top ten because it undeniably rules but it also feels like something i can only listen to in a particular state of mind

definitely assumed either "when i go deaf" or "point of disgust" was going to show up here at some point. what a wild poll! thanks for running it ufo

thank you for participating, everyone

here's the full results:

1. Murderer - 1156 points, 27 voters, 2 #1 votes
2. Do You Know How To Waltz? - 1002 points, 25 voters, 1 #1 vote
3. Two-Step - 922 points, 24 voters, 2 #1 votes
4. Words - 859 points, 20 voters, 1 #1 vote
5. Sunflower - 789 points, 23 voters, 1 #1 vote
6. (That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace - 782 points, 21 voters, 1 #1 vote
7. Over the Ocean - 728 points, 20 voters, 1 #1 vote
8. In Metal - 699 points, 18 voters, 3 #1 votes
9. Violence - 614 points, 17 voters, 2 #1 votes
10. Laser Beam - 587 points, 15 voters, 1 #1 vote
11. Lullaby - 565 points, 17 voters, 1 #1 vote
12. Canada - 522 points, 14 voters
13. Lazy - 507 points, 15 voters
14. Nothing But Heart - 506 points, 13 voters
15. Silver Rider - 495 points, 13 voters, 3 #1 votes
16. Pissing - 479 points, 16 voters
17. Hey - 461 points, 15 voters
18. Dinosaur Act - 440 points, 14 voters, 1 #1 vote
19. Quorum - 438 points, 14 voters
20. Fly - 433 points, 12 voters, 1 #1 vote
21. Starfire - 428 points, 15 voters, 1 #1 vote
22. Coattails - 424 points, 13 voters
23. The Plan - 417 points, 12 voters
24. Monkey - 405 points, 13 voters
25. Always Trying to Work It Out - 400 points, 12 voters
26. In The Drugs - 397 points, 14 voters
27. Shame - 394 points, 13 voters
28. Breaker - 370 points, 13 voters
29. Shots & Ladders - 352 points, 14 voters
30. White Horses - 331 points, 10 voters
31. Violent Past - 310 points, 10 voters, 1 #1 vote
31. Will the Night - 310 points, 11 voters, 1 #1 vote
33. The Lamb - 303 points, 7 voters, 1 #1 vote
34. Broadway (So Many People) - 302 points, 7 voters
35. Weight of Water - 291 points, 9 voters, 1 #1 vote
35. No Comprende - 291 points, 11 voters
37. Whitetail - 285 points, 8 voters
37. Landslide - 285 points, 11 voters
39. Last Snowstorm of the Year - 279 points, 8 voters
40. Tempest - 278 points, 7 voters
41. The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off) - 277 points, 9 voters
42. California - 276 points, 9 voters
43. July - 274 points, 10 voters
44. Lies - 273 points, 9 voters
45. Always Up - 271 points, 6 voters
46. Venus - 270 points, 11 voters
47. Just Like Christmas - 266 points, 7 voters
48. Anon - 257 points, 7 voters
49. Immune - 250 points, 5 voters, 1 #1 vote
50. Especially Me - 238 points, 9 voters, 1 #1 vote
50. More - 238 points, 10 voters, 1 #1 vote
52. Dancing and Blood - 237 points, 7 voters
53. Sleep at the Bottom - 233 points, 8 voters, 1 #1 vote
54. Soon - 216 points, 8 voters, 1 #1 vote
55. Belarus - 206 points, 6 voters
55. John Prine - 206 points, 7 voters
57. Days Like These - 202 points, 7 voters
58. Like a Forest - 186 points, 6 voters
58. Spanish Translation - 186 points, 7 voters, 1 #1 vote
60. Gentle - 177 points, 6 voters
61. I Remember - 176 points, 5 voters
61. Nightingale - 176 points, 5 voters
63. When I Go Deaf - 168 points, 7 voters
64. Don't Understand - 166 points, 8 voters
65. Take Your Time - 163 points, 5 voters
65. Point of Disgust - 163 points, 7 voters
67. Because You Stood Still - 162 points, 4 voters
67. Closer - 162 points, 4 voters
69. You See Everything - 158 points, 6 voters
70. Try To Sleep - 152 points, 5 voters
71. La La La Song - 151 points, 5 voters
72. Throw Out The Line - 143 points, 5 voters
72. Stars Gone Out - 143 points, 4 voters
74. Everybody's Song - 140 points, 4 voters
75. Time is the Diamond - 136 points, 6 voters
76. Medicine Magazines - 135 points, 5 voters
77. Congregation - 130 points, 5 voters
78. Witches - 128 points, 5 voters
78. Down - 128 points, 5 voters
80. Drag - 127 points, 5 voters
81. Little Argument With Myself - 126 points, 5 voters
81. Just Make It Stop - 126 points, 5 voters
83. Condescend - 124 points, 5 voters, 1 #1 vote
83. Hatchet - 124 points, 4 voters
85. Laugh - 119 points, 4 voters
86. Tonight - 118 points, 3 voters, 1 #1 vote
86. Long Way Around The Sea - 118 points, 3 voters
88. All Night - 116 points, 5 voters
88. Cut - 116 points, 4 voters
88. Disappearing - 116 points, 3 voters
91. Whore - 114 points, 3 voters
92. If You Were Born Today (Song for Little Baby Jesus) - 110 points, 3 voters
92. Down by the River - 110 points, 3 voters
94. So Easy (So Far) - 106 points, 3 voters
94. Don't Carry It All - 106 points, 2 voters
96. Stay - 101 points, 4 voters
97. Rome (Always In The Dark) - 100 points, 3 voters
98. Swingin' - 98 points, 4 voters
98. Poor Sucker - 98 points, 3 voters
100. Below & Above - 94 points, 5 voters
101. Bombscare - 90 points, 2 voters
102. In Silence - 86 points, 3 voters
103. Born by the Wires - 82 points, 3 voters
103. Hand So Small - 82 points, 2 voters
105. Dancing and Fire - 81 points, 4 voters
105. On the Edge of - 81 points, 4 voters
107. Disarray - 78 points, 4 voters
108. Joan of Arc - 76 points, 3 voters
109. Don't Walk Away - 74 points, 2 voters
110. Embrace - 73 points, 2 voters
111. What Part Of Me - 72 points, 5 voters
112. The Innocents - 70 points, 4 voters
113. Dragonfly - 68 points, 4 voters
114. Standby - 67 points, 3 voters
115. Fear - 64 points, 2 voters
115. Be There - 64 points, 3 voters
115. Plastic Cup - 64 points, 5 voters
118. Just Stand Back - 62 points, 3 voters
119. Mom Says - 59 points, 2 voters
120. Cue the Strings - 58 points, 2 voters
120. Caroline - 58 points, 2 voters
120. So Blue - 58 points, 2 voters
123. Death of a Salesman - 56 points, 2 voters
123. DJ - 56 points, 3 voters
125. Candy Girl - 54 points, 2 voters
125. Dark - 54 points, 2 voters
127. Streetlight - 48 points, 1 voter
127. Slide - 48 points, 1 voter
129. From Your Place on Sunset - 47 points, 2 voters
130. Always Fade - 46 points, 3 voters
130. Untitled 4 - 46 points, 1 voter
130. Transmission - 46 points, 3 voters
133. Those Girls (Song For Nico) - 44 points, 1 voter
134. On My Own - 42 points, 3 voters
134. David & Jude - 42 points, 1 voter
136. Tomorrow One - 40 points, 3 voters
137. Way Behind - 38 points, 1 voter
137. Missouri - 38 points, 2 voters
139. Old Man Song - 36 points, 1 voter
139. One Special Gift - 36 points, 1 voter
139. I Started A Joke - 36 points, 2 voters
139. When You Walked - 36 points, 1 voter
139. Untitled 1 - 36 points, 1 voter
144. Amethyst - 32 points, 1 voter
145. Turn - 31 points, 1 voter
145. Walk You Out - 31 points, 1 voter
145. Lust - 31 points, 1 voter
145. Turning Over - 31 points, 1 voter
149. Hey Chicago - 30 points, 1 voter
150. Alone - 28 points, 2 voters
150. Rope - 28 points, 1 voter
150. Walk Into the Sea - 28 points, 2 voters
150. Landlord - 28 points, 1 voter
154. Sea - 26 points, 1 voter
155. Bright - 24 points, 1 voter
155. Sunshine - 24 points, 1 voter
157. Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me - 20 points, 1 voter
157. Blue-Eyed Devil - 20 points, 1 voter
159. Lion/Lamb - 18 points, 1 voter
159. Peanut Butter Toast and American Bandstand - 18 points, 2 voters
159. Home - 18 points, 2 voters
162. I Can Wait - 16 points, 1 voter
162. Kind of Girl - 16 points, 2 voters
162. Overhead - 16 points, 1 voter
165. Days of… - 14 points, 1 voter
166. Majesty/Magic - 12 points, 1 voter
166. No Need - 12 points, 1 voter
168. Prisoner - 8 points, 1 voter
168. Something's Turning Over - 8 points, 1 voter
170. I Hear... Goodnight - 6 points, 1 voter
170. Stay (Rihanna cover) - 6 points, 1 voter
172. Take - 4 points, 1 voter
172. Taking Down The Tree - 4 points, 1 voter
172. Tear Down - 4 points, 1 voter
175. Back Home Again - 2 points, 1 voter

SILVER RIDER WAY TOO LOW! it was my #1. my favorite version of the song is basically "whenever i see them play it live" because on a good night, it's the most transcendent song humans have ever crafted

Love for whoever voted “Condescend” #1 and “Don’t Carry It All” as highly as I did

Thank you for running this, ufo!!

murderer is a worthy #1, i believe it was my #3. "i've seen you pound your first into the earth" is probably the most striking imagery i've ever heard in music

btw thanks for running the poll ufo!

my ballot

Tonight
Coattails
Landslide
Do You Know How to Waltz?
Murderer
Tempest
Laser Beam
Stay
Take Your Time
The Plan
Hey
July
Old Man Song
Dancing and Blood
So Blue
Don't Understand
Laugh
DJ
Spanish Translation
Always Fade
California
Congregation
Will the Night
Time is the Diamond
Lies
Try to Sleep
Disarray
Just Stand Back
Below & Above
No Comprende

my songs ballot

1. Murderer (EP version)
2. Nothing But Heart
3. Laser Beam
4. Words
5. (That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace
6. Dancing and Blood
7. Do You Know How to Waltz?
8. The Plan
9. Breaker
10. Coattails
11. Silver Rider
12. Point of Disgust
13. In Metal
14. Quorum
15. Witches
16. Tomorrow One
17. Lazy
18. Spanish Translation
19. Shame
20. John Prine
21. Don't Understand
22. Over the Ocean
23. Shots and Ladders
24. When I Go Deaf
25. Soon
26. Hey
27. Whitetail
28. Starfire
29. Tear Down
30. Pissing

I'm the number one voter for Condescend. I didn't do a covers poll, so..

Condescend
Nothing But Heart
Down By The River
Broadway (So Many People)
Just Like Christmas
Dinosaur Act
Over The Ocean
Especially Me
If You Were Born Today
The Plan
Coattails
You See Everything
Two Step
Laser Beam
Will The Night (Dead Pilot version)
Closer
Weight Of Water
In The Drugs
Sunflower
Monkey
Lazy
Words
Silver Rider
In Metal
Whitetail
Shots & Ladders
July
Starfire
Point Of Disgust
Venus

Great poll. Thanks to ufo for running it and to everyone for all the great discussion.

Silver Rider
In Metal
Words
Venus
Breaker
Amazing Grace
Sunflower
Weight for Water
Laser Beam
Canada
Everybody's Song
Dinosaur Act
Last Snowstorm of the Year
Congregation
Nothing But Heart
Drag
Below & Above
Shame
Starfire
2-Step
Murderer
Lullaby
Especially Me
Medicine Magazines
La La Song
Take Your Time
In Silence
Monkey
Cue the Strings
Dragonfly

Unsurprising ballot, unranked:

Throw Out the Line

Turn

Stay

Two-Step

Weight of Water

Whitetail

Medicine Magazines

Laser Beam

Embrace

(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace

In the Drugs

Last Snowstorm of the Year

La La La Song

Point of Disgust

Shots & Ladders

Anon

The Plan

Over the Ocean

Mom Says

Coattails

Standby

Laugh

Lust

Stars Gone Out

Do You Know How to Waltz?

Murderer

Words

Lazy

Lullaby

Drag

Thanks ufo! And thanks to all of you for putting up with me being annoying for days.

Fascinating that Double Negative took the album poll, yet its highest placing in tracks was #19?? Feel like that's gotta be unprecedented among these artist polls

xp I’ve liked reading your take on Low, table!

been distracted by family events the last few days but have enjoyed this thread. thanks ufo

curious how common it is for other artist polls to have that many different songs of theirs get #1 votes - seemed like there were a lot for this one?

Fascinating that Double Negative took the album poll, yet its highest placing in tracks was #19?? Feel like that's gotta be unprecedented among these artist polls

yeah this was something that stood out to me as quite unusual, but i think it lines up with a lot of people mentioning that they loved double negative but weren't finding it easy to separate out individual tracks from it

This band.

Silver Rider
Monkey
Witches
(That’s How You Sing) Amazing Grace
Always Trying to Work It Out
Don’t Walk Away
The Lamb
Broadway (So Many People)
Disappearing
California
Landslide

Candy Girl
Two-Step
Canada
No Comprende
Pissing
Time Is the Diamond
On My Own
Weight of Water
Shots and Ladders
Do You Know How to Waltz
Quorum
Hey
Breaker
Majesty/Magic
Violence
Dinosaur Act
Just Stand Back
Little Argument with Myself
Days Like These

Good lookin out, table

Two-Step
Whitetail
Nothing But Heart
Cue the Strings
Monkey
Violence
Time Is The Diamond
Canada
Whore
Throw Out the Line
Plastic Cup
Sunflower
Missouri
Dinosaur Act
Standby
(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace
Especially Me
So Blue
Hatchet
Just Like Christmas
Lullaby
Coattails
Don't Understand
On My Own
Shame
Just Make It Stop
White Horses
More
Transmission
I Started a Joke

Starfire
Words
The Lamb
In Metal
(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace
2-Step
Pissing
Poor Sucker
The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)
Whore
Do You Know How to Waltz
Murderer
Don't Understand
Sunflower
Dancing and Blood
Over the Ocean
Always Trying to Work it Out
Coattails
Condescend
Violent Past
Anon
Throw Out the Line
Born By the Wires
Lazy
When I Go Deaf
Hey
Spanish Translation
More
In the Drugs
Dinosaur Act

I thought "whore" might be top-ten material. the lyrics, i don't know. i don't listen to them. everything else about it is stunning.

great poll, thanks so much for running it ufo!!

The only rock bands I want to listen to these days are Low and Ween, idk what that says about me

what do you have against the foo fighters?

I thought "whore" might be top-ten material. the lyrics, i don't know. i don't listen to them. everything else about it is stunning.

yeah it ended up being my favourite from things we lost in the fire. the lyrics are a pretty awkward biblical reference which is a shame compared to how good the rest of it is

The Lamb
Two-Step
Monkey
Broadway (So Many People)
I Remember
Fly
Over the Ocean
Canada
Immune
Lullaby
Shame
Do You Know How to Waltz?
Everybody's Song
Lazy
Because You Stood Still
Nightingale
Long Way Around the Sea
(That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace
Words
The Innocents
Medicine Magazines
Pissing
Dancing and Fire
In Metal
Belarus
Plastic Cup
Sleep at the Bottom
Sunflower
Standby
Shots & Ladders 2 – I was apparently the only vote for this version, and contributed only 2 points vs. the 350 points that the Trust version received.

things we lost in the fire was my first low. i was 20 at the time (2003) and met this wonderful woman who would play it all the time. i hope this isn't tmi, but i really liked her and for a while we were a couple and would sleep in the same bed. we never made love (TMI), which was a smart move on her part, because she knew i was just a young whatever and not a good idea for anyone who was taking things seriously. i would always be waiting for the right time, and who knows what she was thinking, and then at some point it would be things we lost in the fire time, and it was so warm and intense. Sunflower wowed me of course, first time, but later it was Whore and In Metal and....every single other song...that would knock me out. it was really intense laying there in that bad, on the edge of some sort of horny mistake, not making it, listening to this music, wine drunk. i can never forget it

Thanks UFO!

Fascinating results I'll spend more time parsing--but I feel like the take-away is basically that Low may be even more amazing than we often remember. They're so consistently great that perhaps sometimes we become innured to really seeing it.

My tracks:

01. “Will The Night (Secret Name, 1999)
02. “So Easy (So Far)” (Bombscare EP, 2000)
03. “Belarus” (Drums & Guns, 2007)
04. “Fly” (Double Negative, 2018)
05. “Little Argument With Myself” (Trust, 2002)
06. “Because You Stood Still” (Last Night I Dreamt EP, 2001)
07. “Soon” (Secret Name, 1999)
08. “Breaker” (Drums & Guns, 2007)
09. “Hand So Small” (Bombscare EP, 2000)
10. “Down By The River” (In the Fishtank EP, 2001)
11. “The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)” (Hey What, 2021)
12. “Do You Know How To Waltz?” (The Curtain Hits The Cast, 1996)
13. “Two-Step” (Secret Name, 1999)
14. “Don’t Understand” (Secret Name, 1999)
15. “Bombscare” (Bombscare EP, 2000)
16. “Hey” (Hey What, 2021)
17. “Landlord” (Songs For A Dead Pilot EP, 1997)
18. “John Prine” (Trust, 2002)
19. “Sunshine” (I Could Live In Hope, 1994)
20. “Always Fade” (Drums & Guns, 2007)
21. “Disarray” (Double Negative, 2018)
22. “Dragonfly” (Drums & Guns, 2007)
23. “The Plan” (The Curtain Hits the Cast, 1996)
24. “On The Edge Of” (The Great Destroyer, 2005)
25. “Always Trying to Work It Out” (Double Negative, 2018)
26. “Murderer” (Drums & Guns, 2007)
27. “Drag” (I Could Live In Hope, 1994)
28. “Words” (I Could Live In Hope, 1994)
29. “Poor Sucker” (Double Negative, 2018)
30. “Laser Beam” (Things We Lost in the Fire, 2001)

And releases:

01. Drums & Guns (2007)
02. Double Negative (2018)
03. Secret Name (1999)
04. Bombscare EP (2000)
05. Trust (2002)
06. The Curtain Hits the Cast (1996)
07. I Could Live in Hope (1994)
08. Hey What (2021)
09. The Great Destroyer (2005)
10. Things We Lost In the Fire (2001)

I'll continue to push for more folks to hear the 'Bombscare' EP, which more and more feels like the secret fulcrum of their oeuvre...

Thanks for sharing that, Karl. Long Division was my first, but TWLITF was the one that really hooked me.

My take on the last two is that Double Negative is the better album length statement, Hey What has higher highs but a couple duds. Between the lyrics and the vocal I don't like "Days Like These" at all.

Songs

More
Words
Belarus
Quorum
Shame
Lazy
Hey
Pissing
Witches
Violence
Two-Step
Sunflower
Murderer
Disarray
Lullaby
Soon
Anon
Fear
Lies
Cut
Stay
Drag
Take
Gentle
I Remember
So Easy (So Far)
Born by the Wires
Breaker (Dub Plate)
Do You Know How to Waltz?
Venus (Time Stereo Dub Mix)

Albums

I Could Live in Hope
Double Negative
Long Division
Ones and Sixes
Hey What
The Curtain Hits the Cast
Songs for a Dead Dreamer
Drums and Guns
Secret Name

*Songs for a Dead Pilot 8/

Tracks

1. Murderer
2. Lazy
3. Don’t Carry It All
4. When I Go Deaf
5. All Night
6. Words
7. Do You Know How to Waltz
8. Violent Past
9. Lullaby
10. In Metal
11. Take Your Time
12. Nightingale
13. White Horses
14. Condescend
15. Pissing
16. Rome (Always in the Dark)
17. Starfire
18. Dancing and Blood
19. Sunflower
20. Canada
21. More
22. Breaker
23. The Price You Pay (It Must Be Wearing Off)
24. Venus
25. 2-Step
26. Landslide
27. John Prine
28. What Part of Me
29. Like a Forest
30. In the Drugs

Albums

1. Drums and Guns
2. Hey What
3. I Could Live in Hope
4. Things We Lost in the Fire
5. The Curtain Hits the Cast
6. The Great Destroyer
7. Double Negative
8. Ones and Sixes
9. In a Fishtank
10. Trust

TWLITF was my gateway years back. Someone put it on the morning after a night of heavy partying and the mood of “Sunflower” and on just clicked.

"sunflower" is the ultimate low gateway song imo

it's imo because it was my gateway i guess

i'm surprised that When I Go Deaf didn't place

this poll has prompted me to reassess the great destroyer. it was always one of my least favorite of theirs, but after giving it 10 or so years since the last listen, i can really recognize several fantastic songs on it.