Low
Ones and Sixes
Sub Pop
2015
Rating: 8 breathing snails out of 10
I've long been a total fanboy of Low, both in recorded form and live, ever since I randomly bought a used copy of "The Curtain Hits the Cast" in college...nearly twenty years ago. I don't feel good about typing that. I do, however, feel good about this new Low record "Ones and Sixes." There are never any great leaps or changes in what Low does - it's always subtle, and often takes a few listens to pinpoint. The two most noteworthy items on "Ones and Sixes" are the use of electronic drums to augment the simple drum beats that usually populate their tracks, and a strong Cocteau Twins vibe from the guitars on a few songs. Make no mistake though, any fan of Low is going to feel right at home with this one. As is always the case anytime they release a record, it's one of my favorites of the year.
Alan Sparhawk / Charles Atlas
Split 7''
Star Star Stereo
2000
Rating: 7.5 reckless hearts out of 10
I'm not entirely sure why the a-side here, "Sleep Song," is called an Alan Sparhawk solo track when it sounds exactly like Low and I'm pretty sure even has Mimi contributing backing vocals. Of course anything that has him (or them) singing on it is just going to sound like a Low song. Good track too, for the record.
The Charles Atlas b-side "Pondcup" is good but not particularly exciting. It's basically just some nice guitar playing and nothing else, a style I've never gotten worked up about but given the popularity of William Tyler and that ilk, seems like this would be popular if released today.
Low
Canada 7''
Rough Trade
2002
Rating: 10 busted casinos out of 10
My love of Low is unending, as is my love of Pink Floyd. On this record, Low covers Pink Floyd's "Fearless" and it's just as amazing as my brain wanted it to be. Not better than the original or anything, because that's not possible, but perfect in it's own way, and very much in the style of Low. One of my favorite things.
The title track is great too, but also found on the full-length "Trust" so not worth getting overly excited for.
Low
The Invisible Way
Sub Pop
2013
Rating: 7.5 cup sleeves out of 10
Another new record by the musical institution known as Low. They've been a part of my life for so long that it's hard to imagine what it was like not being able to hear their delicate, wonderful music. Apparently "The Invisible Way" marks Low's 20th anniversary as a band, and they are one of a very small fraternity that I find just as riveting now as when I first heard them probably 18 years ago. They've done this by keeping things relatively the same and very simple - sparse instrumentation, quality songwriting, and some of my favorite vocals in all of music. I've read Jeff Tweedy of Wilco was their producer this time in the studio, but to these ears you can 't tell a difference - it still sounds like vintage Low. To be perfectly honest, so long as the record includes Alan and Mimi singing, they could probably put out an album that was 90% fart sounds and I'd be happy to listen. No fart sounds here though, just beauty.
Low
Plays Nice Places
Sup Pop
2012
Rating: 7 frozen doves out of 10
Low has a new record coming out soon, but in the meantime they released a free live EP that you can grab from this link here. Just enter your email address or whatnot. Ben Gibbard helps on one of the songs and luckily doesn't screw it up (I have no beef against Gibbard like some do, but he's no Low). It's worth the effort to download for the live versions of "sunflowers" and "Witches" alone. "Pissing" is great too. Goddamn, what a good band... nearly 20 years later and I still get chills listening to them sometimes.
Low
C'mon
Sub Pop
2011
Rating: 8.5 kicked chairs out of 10
Low has released their ninth album, and I'm not entirely sure what to say about other than...it's good. Really, really good. But I say that about all of their albums, because I am very much a fan of anything this band does. This band is now very much a touchstone for describing many other acts, their name now an easily identifiable descriptor meaning "sparse, mellow, haunting folk rock with very strong vocals", or something along those lines. I guess the kids call it "slowcore".
So you really only describe Low in terms of Low - and this a fantastic Low record. I'm not sure where exactly I'd rank it, but definitely in the top half, maybe even top third of the their albums. The only ones I'd rank over for sure right now is "The Curtain Hits the Cast" and "Things We Lost in the Fire", which says a lot in my book. "C'mon" features two songs that were instant favorites upon the very first listen - "Witches" and "Especially Me", and there isn't a clunker in the entire bunch. Even letting Nels Cline (the man largely responsible for nearly destroying Wilco) play on the album didn't turn it to a steaming pile, thankfully.
There is no doubt in my mind this will be one of my top five favorite records at the end of the year. In the even you are keeping track of such things.
Low
The Great Destroyer
Sub Pop
2005
Rating: 7 homemade bar stools out of 10
There has been a lot of talk about this Low record – that it is different, maybe poppier – and this is mostly true, but don’t automatically take that to be a bad thing; it still sounds like a Low album, but maybe a little “shinier” than before. With Dave Fridmann of Mercury Rev manning the decks and even contributing to the record, it certainly seems that the production has jumped up a notch - overall the album seems much denser and crisper than previous Low releases. There are a lot of catchy songs on this CD: new tracks “California” and “Step” were instantly all-time favorites of the band’s catalog. And while nothing on here resembles a pop song as it’s classically understood, compared to the band’s historical albums it would certainly register as a more “upbeat” record, at least as far as tempo is concerned (the lyrics aren’t going to talk you down off that ledge if you are intent on jumping). I would be surprised if any diehard Low fans are turned off by this, because it is truly a great release, and as a whole not that terribly different than one might expect going in after reading the reviews. It may even win over some new fans, possibly even some who had already made up their mind about this band.
