2002

Trust – 99%

            Low’s longest album yet and a true double album, Trust is the band’s Exile on Main street to the previous Things We Lost in the Fire’s Sticky Fingers, two albums of perfection once the band is well into their career. Sure, the band still has a mastery of their craft but they also expand it here in a much more soulful and experimental way. The songs reach longer with great effect- see the thundering stomp of “The Lamb” and the existential wonderings of “John Prine”, as well as the upgrade of church hymnal style in “Amazing Grace” and the truly psychedelic jamboree of “Shots and Ladders” that closes the record.

            Ever more accessible in only a way Low can be, there is always just that tinge of darkness, we have another Lou Reed meets Neil Young indie rock chug in the awesome “Canada”, amazing use of tympani in “Candy Girl” which is very haunting. Mimi Parker shines on many of her songs here, but “Point of Disgust” is the most touching song she ever did and serving as the penultimate track to the album is just perfect. “Tonight” channels something from the 80’s New Wave synth and also something completely unique to Low, its very hard to describe a song that precious. Sparhawk marks his place on this album like nothing that came before, “Time is the Diamond” is an amazing new form of hymnal, to say these lyrics in this way is to take everything that exists within us and rip it out, this song links the common thread in all humanity together. “Little Argument with Myself”, with the words “there’s nothing as sad as a man on his back counting stars” is Sparhawks existential rant at his Lord and savior, ending with the rant “I want to believe I want to believe”.

        On the lighter side there is the perfect lament “In the Drugs” pleading society to wake up from their haze of prescriptions, “La La Song” is yet another campfire singalong, but a nifty one. “Last Snowstorm of the Year” has soaring harmonies by Parker and sums up the married couples most charming ideas into a likeable ditty. Low never swears in their songs, they exist about most other bands and exude a kind of ‘purity’, never was this clearer than on Trust which reveals more and more on each listen. Trust is a contender for greatest album ever made.

Greatest songs: Point of Disgust, Time Is The Diamond, Canada, Last Snowstorm of Years, In the Drugs

2005

The Great Destroyer – 74%

Low’s newest (released in January of 2005, much like their first album was released in January of 1994) marks a huge departure from their past, mainly because they finally allow other kinds of influences in. All that came before is still there, but the focus on melodic, mid-tempo songs is much stronger- see the charming “Just Stand Back” and the blissful glee of “California”, which still have a bit of Low in them but also betray an influence of Britpop (the Blur influence of “Monkey” or the Belle and Sebastian wistfulness of “Broadway”) and arena rock of all things, like the strident “Everybody’s Song”. This was a Dave Fridmann produced album (on the Sub Pop Label) so of course the drums of Mimi Parker sound BIGGER than ever, which is kind of his thing.

For all of the different influences and change in upbeat tempo for the group, Great Destroyer is endlessly entertaining for merely a "good" record. In fact, in won them legions of fans from music pros of old like Robert Plant who covered many songs form the record, and people who have never heard of Low before. Previous album Trust (2002) and everything before it seems like a clear division in the band’s sound, but also the band’s audience. There are Pre-Great Destroyer types of Low fans, and after Great Destroyer types- those types trend to see Low in a whole different way, kind of if your first Rolling Stones album was Some Girls (1978). I do compare Low to the Stones a lot, I think Low are as good or perhaps BETTER, but I know I’m in the minority there.

The record is top heavy to say the least, after the first 5 songs it has all kind of blurred together for me (no pun intended). “Cue the Strings” sounds like a mediocre version of “Will the Night”, “Step and “Pissing” I really have no strong feeling from, etc. The lone exception is “Death of a Salesman”, which stands out a sort of slowcore folk lullaby. The indie rock scene kind of boomed in 2005, so Low got lumped in with bands like Arcade Fire, Spoon, New Pornographers etc as examples of what true luminaries can do, for better or for worse. If this is the only Low album you have, I implore you to check out the band’s earlier work. With Great Destroyer throwing all the good stuff at the beginning, as many pop band’s such as U2 tend to do, it is definitely the poppiest and most traditional they have ever sounded.

Best Songs: California, Everybody’s Song, Just Stand Back, Monkey

2007

Drums and Guns – 65%

            This album marks a large departure for Low as well, as if to compensate for the big arena rock sound (for them) of the last album, they went totally internal again. Every song is muted, controlled, and afraid of showing too much emotion. Low also goes digital for the first time, employing electronic beats and glitch noises as opposed to very traditional sound they are used to. “Belarus” is a good example of this, having Parker’s angelic vocals repeat and interlock in the background while another song is made over it (even employing a string section). “Always Fade” is partially successful too, using a psycho-ambient beat that is probably the most interesting thing about the song. “Breaker” and “Sandanista” are a bit less successful though, as the band just seems less interested is making engaging songs than to speak to violence in the world and reflect the albums title- the Drums may have changed, but the Guns still kill and kill.

            There are some other highlights though, the ballad “Murderer” is one of Sparhawks most effective vocal performances and “Dust on the Window” is the same for Parker. “Hatchet” is interesting lyrically, saying “Let’s bury the hatchet like the Beatles and the Stones.” And commenting on the band’s place in rock history; they are not wrong at all in stating they are as important as either of those bands. The band still has the ability to really make effective melodies work at a slow pace, after all these years it is the band’s calling card and reason to be. But the other songs here, at least half of them, are failed experiments that don’t do much for me. So Drums and Guns is a transitional work in the end, halfway embracing new sounds and active themes, and half working while doing so. Dave Fridmann produced this album as well, but its very much an odd entry in his production work as everything is quite muted and subdued. I dare say next time, let the power of the instruments and emotions shine through again.

Best Songs: Murderer, Dust on the Window, Belarus

2011

Cmon – 82%

            Low are easily one of the greatest bands of the mid 90's through the mid 2000's, as their albums in that time frame (specifically the albums Things We Lost in the Fire, I Could Live in Hope, and their 2002 masterpiece Trust) completely defined the era for melodic, gorgeous music. Since 2005's The Great Destroyer, they have been on a rather odd path, and some have interpreted this as an attempt to reach a bigger audience. It's true they found a new audience on the albums released in the last ten years, but 2011's C'mon is the best album they made so far in that time frame. Part of the reason it works is because it is the bands most natural sounding; Low brings it back to the basic instruments of guitar, drums and bass. Gone are the distorted arena guitars, computer glitches and loops that failed on previous albums.

      C'mon shows off the band at their best: Mimi Parker's gorgeous voice holding out notes until they can't last any longer on "You See Everything"; the repetitive but epic eight minute "Nothing But Heart" which again underlines how good the band is at cascading up a theme; the knack for opening and closing a record with simple but super catchy songs "Somethings Turning Over" and single ready “Try to Sleep". Above all, the masterwork "Witches" displays everything that is special about the married couple of Sparhawk and Parker, putting all other male/female harmony groups to shame and having such an insular perspective on lyrics, “All you guys out there trying to act like Al Green/ you are weak.” While the album sags a little in the middle, the beginning and ending cement it as one of their better efforts.

Best Songs: Witches, Nothing but Heart, Especially Me, Try to Sleep

2013

Invisible Way – 56%

            This album was produced by Jeff Tweedy, and though Low and Wilco share a sense of detached song writing that is sometimes barley there, the pair either isn’t a good match or they don’t compliment them well. The album feels a bit tedious and lazy. It could just be the lack of good songs, besides the twangy (for Low) repetitive “Plastic Cup”, Parker’s touching “So Blue” and “Holy Ghost” (both which could be Jane Siberry / Margo Timmins classics), and the upbeat shuffle of “Just Make It Stop” -which seems to be one of their most popular songs form the last decade- there is not much else to recommend. I mean its still pretty good because it is Low after all, it is all very listenable but it really doesn’t leave much of an impression. In all, it’s nothing the band hasn’t done better elsewhere and it’s probably my least favorite of theirs.

Best Songs: Holy Ghost, So Blue

2015

Ones and Sixes – 85%

For whatever reason this album was an important development in my love of the band Low. I think it’s because more than any album they had done in the last 10 years, it resonated with everything I liked about he band. The opening four songs alone pointed out why I loved the group so much: The poignant delicacy of “Gentle”; the slow rock pace mixed with the awesome dual harmonies of “No Comprende” with lyrics about life as an independent band on the road, the emotional outpouring of the perfect “Spanish Translation” enhanced my excellent studio tricks; and Parker’s soft, electronic pulse of “Congregation”. All of these songs cemented the band’s return to great songwriting. “What Part of Me” proves it again, much like “Like a Forest” from Things We Lost in the Fire (2011) it’s a song that points out what potential the group had for singles; it is truly a song as precious as a snowflake.

            Almost every song has something special on Ones and Sixes, form Mimi’s a cappella “Into You” enhanced by electronic drums, to the strange unique to Low upbeat “No End” and “Kid in the Corner”, to the long ending of “DJ” that almost turns the band into piano balladeers. Above all “Landslide” with its 9 minutes of full out rock n roll heaviness vs soft calm lamenting cements this as a great album, a song that truly takes you to another universe. Above all, choice of producer in BJ Burton creates quite the collaborator with the band, taking them successfully into a realm of echoey, icy, perfection. With Ones and Sixes, Low establish themselves once more as a band that makes great albums in the realm of slowcore and beyond, seamlessly incorporating electronic sound effects into their sound in a brilliant way.

Best Songs: What Part of Me, Spanish Translation, Landslide, Congregation

2018

Double Negative - 73%

            On the surface Low’s 12th album seems impenetrable, but this record is pretty easy to sum up after several listens. In a lot of ways, like on the slowcore standards “Always Trying to Work It Out” and “Rome” this is the Low of old: beautiful, scary, charming, reliable. “Always Up” has an interesting angelic choir sort of quality, recalling “Shoots and Ladders” from their masterwork album, Trust (2002). “Poor Sucker” is a highlight for sure, a dual vocal haunting mantra that stays in your head for days and it might be their best song of the decade 2010’s. I also like the production at times on here when it complements the songs, like on “Dancing and Fire” or the slightly spaced out tune “Dancing and Blood”. So when the album serves the songs and the melodies, it works. The title of “always” in a lot of songs gives the impression of some special form of unity that the married couple of Alan and Mimi have always exemplified beautifully. Producer BJ Burton who also made the last album 2015’s Ones and Zeros, does a good job with the material present.

            While the band sounds more like a unit in singing and performing then ever before, perhaps so than ever before, there are also some glaring and obvious problems. Mainly, the album is very over produced, and I am not blaming either band or producer for this, it’s just obvious that there is a lack of strong songs here. Songs such as “Quorum” and “The Son the Sun” are pure production work and little else more- it is style but no substance. “Tempest” is one of their worst tunes ever, some kind of experiment with vocals a la Bon Iver that falls flat on its face. Then there are tunes such as “Fly” that are just kind of…..there; they add nothing to Low’s legacy and have no real reason to exist. “Disarray” and “Dancing and Fire” are entertaining enough, but take away the tricky production and Low become the opposite of what they are best at – maximal instead of minimal – trying everything to get the most out of the very little ideas present on the record. In all, Double Negative is a slightly failed experiment, but hardly a bad album. Low remain one of the best bands on the planet for sure.

Best Songs: Poor Sucker, Always Trying to Work It Out, Rome, Always Up

2021

Hey What - 86%

            Oh, Low. Inscrutable Low. Releasing an album of intriguing music every 3 or 4 years since ending their main streak of masterpieces with one of my favorite albums of all time, 2002's Trust, this husband-wife duo just can't seem to stop making music that challenges expectations and evolves their sound. Consequently, these songs are presented as loud and electronic this time around, using producer BJ Burton like they have on every record since 2015's amazing Ones and Zeros. There are some songs where the electronic sound effects take over the proceedings in a lovely way, the way the waves of sound cascade in and out of “Disappearing” and the magnificent ending of “The Price You Pay”, as Low have a way of always ending an album on an awesome note. “I Can Wait” and “Don’t Walk Away” are perhaps the only examples of when this approach comes off as over-production.

            So with the subtlety gone, how is Low still the same band? It’s amazing to behold: “White Horses” stumbles along using a guitar-keyboard blur with a staccato rhythm, opening a whole album of possibilities. Slow motion, repetitive parts are still the name of the game, “Days Like These” is a prime example of this type of tune. “All Night” and especially the instant classic “More” are more compact singles, using Mimi Parker’s voice like the weapon of angels it is. All of Hey What shines as an example of a band that has produced almost 30 years of substance over style, as Low have always known exactly what they have wanted to do and ridden their own path though all of the stylistic changes of the decades, but never sounding dated or forced at all. Low effortlessly blends contemporary sounds and techniques into their already amazing prophetic song writing and whether it’s their first or tenth album you have heard, it feels instantly like a part of their best works. Their previous minimalist style has become maximized.

Best Songs: More, Days Like these, All Night, The Price You Pay

Compilations

1997

Songs for a Dead Pilot – 57%

Listed by most people as an EP but about 35 minutes in length, this is a minor and transitional work for Low; I don’t even consider it one of their proper albums. Opener “Will the Night” is barley a song, it has a ghostly presence but there is not real tune to be found- basically uneventful ambient music. Ditto for songs like “Landlord” or “Be There”. “Condescend” and “Hey Chicago” are the most interesting normal songs from Low but even they would be weaker tunes on a normal Low album. The most interesting experiment is “Born By the Wires” but that’s the thing, it is an experiment and playing the same chord for a long time, not exactly a new idea or innovative.

      It is no real surprise that Low ended up here, as each subsequent album has been an exercise is playing slower and slower music. Basically, these six songs come off as leftovers form the sessions or ideas from the first three (much better) Low albums. Hopefully on the next release the band brings more energy- not that they need to play faster, they just need confidence in what they are doing.

1999

Christmas EP - 92%

            Excellent release, one of the best Christmas albums of all time. “Just Like Christmas” sung by Mimi Parker is one of my all-time Christmas Songs, and needs to be heard by more people. Of the other originals here, “Taking Down the Tree” also stands out as a touching composition, while three Covers of “Little Drummer Boy” and “Blue Christmas” have that distinct Low stamp, the former with a lovely layer of drone-noise behind the tune. “Silent Night” was made for a band like Low to cover. In all, half covers but a complete holiday joy and hard not to give 5 stars to.