Low Discography

I already did a small blurb on Low a few posts back, but in case you missed it:


In 1993, when grunge and post-punk ruled the masses, the slowcore/shoegaze scene was gradually churning and collecting velocity. My Bloody Valentine and Ride had found their way into hipster's tape players, and in little ol' Duluth, Minnesota, Low was also starting to think similarly. Singer/guitarist Alan Sparhawk and his wife, drummer Mimi Parker, joined with one of Alan's previous band mates, John Nichols to create a very quiet, minimal music that still demanded attention, without being fast, loud and aggressive. And since Low's first release in 1994, they've been building layer after layer upon that idea. Low has evolved considerably from the very quiet and solemn debut, I Could Live In Hope, but with each album they seem to explore a slightly different side of themselves. Every record however shares the common thread of Sparhawk and Parker's amazing vocal harmonies. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes haunting, their vocal blend is always interesting. You'll find that Parker often sings the lower register of a harmony, with her husband singing the higher parts of the harmony in a beautiful almost-falsetto.

Don't wanna get too pretentious here, so I'll leave it at what I wrote there, but PLEASE don't pass over this. This is one of my personal favorite bands of all time. Here is one of my favorite Low songs, although their sounds varies widely, maybe it will pique your interest in getting these records.



I Could Live In Hope (1994)
Long Division (1995)
The Curtain Hits The Cast (1996)
Secret Name (1999)
Christmas EP (1999)
Things We Lost In The Fire (2001)
Trust (2002)
The Great Destroyer (2005)
Drums and Guns (2007)
C'mon (2011)

You may also be interested in Alan Sparhawk's blues band ('blues' in it's truest form, we're talking Mississippi juke joint style) Black Eyed Snakes.

Enjoy.

Low - 'Trust' and 'The Great Destroyer'

Hmmmmm...where to start with Low.....

In 1993, when grunge and post-punk ruled the masses, the slowcore/shoegaze scene was gradually churning and collecting velocity. My Bloody Valentine and Ride had found their way into hipster's tape players, and in little ol' Duluth, Minnesota, Low was also starting to think similarly. Singer/guitarist Alan Sparhawk and his wife, drummer Mimi Parker, joined with one of Alan's previous band mates, John Nichols to create a very quiet, minimal music that still demanded attention, without being fast, loud and aggressive. And since Low's first release in 1994, they've been building layer after layer upon that idea. Low has evolved considerably from the very quiet and solemn debut, I Could Live In Hope, but with each album they seem to explore a slightly different side of themselves. Every record however shares the common thread of Sparhawk and Parker's amazing vocal harmonies. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes haunting, their vocal blend is always interesting. You'll find that Parker often sings the lower register of a harmony, with her husband singing the higher parts of the harmony in a beautiful almost-falsetto.

Low has a bunch of records, and I'll probably eventually post them all, including their newest record, set to be released next month (April 2011). Until then, here are two records for you to dive right in.

Low - Trust (2001)
Low - The Great Destroyer (2005)

Black Eyed Snakes for your blues!

This record is quite an unexpected gem. Featuring Alan Sparhawk, singer and guitarist for Low (one of my favorite bands), this is a pretty big leap from Low's slow, minimalist shoegazey style. Black Eyed Snakes play foot-stompin', leg-kickin juke joint blues, the likes of which you'd never expect from Duluth, Minnesota. Recorded nice and lo-fi, this album easily joins the ranks of Howling Wolf and RL Burnside in keeping true to the roots of blues music. This ain't your daddy's noodly frat-boy blues, so if you got any sense at all, you'll snag this immediately. And yes. His shirt says "I -heart- consensual sex." Lawl.

GET IT

(And if you haven't listened to Low, stay tuned, as I'll probably post an absurd amount of their music very very soon.)