Low - C'mon (April 2011)

Low / C'mon - SP905

C’mon is the shortest title of any Low album, which seems fitting, as it also ranks among the most succinct and straightforward entries in their variegated discography. Singer-guitarist Alan Sparhawk has even perfected the “elevator pitch” for C’mon: “Recorded in an old church in Duluth, MN and mixed in an apartment in Hollywood, CA.” But that brief synopsis hides universes.

Comprised of new material written on and off the road, the ten-song set was recorded in a former Catholic church, aka Sacred Heart Studio (where the band previously crafted 2002’s Trust) and co-produced and mixed by Matt Beckley. The band took full advantage of Sacred Heart’s high, vaulted ceilings, natural reverb, and audible affinity for organ sounds and group singing. The thunder-crack percussion that peppers the final minute of the slowly unfolding “Majesty/Magic” is just one example of this dynamic in action. With its jangly guitars and sweet vocal harmonies, opener “Try to Sleep” sets the album’s tone: Warmer, fuller and more introspective. Whereas 2007’s Drums and Guns railed against the war in Iraq, C’mon feels like a plea for humanity, decency and common sense in a world gone mad. Sparhawk concurs. “With the last couple of records, we were grappling with something outside of ourselves. This one feels more like, ‘Well, forget that. I’m looking in your eyes right now, and we need to figure out how to get through the next moment, together, as human beings.’”

Without curtailing their artistry one iota, the trio has made one of its most accessible, affecting albums to date. And while the origins of C’mon may lie in a church in Minnesota, Beckley’s apartment in CA and the hearts of the modest individuals who created it, the resulting music has the capacity to resonate deeply with audiences everywhere.

Released: April 12, 2011

w00t

psyched!

Based on everything they played at the Christmas show in LA last month from this new one -- something like ten songs! -- it'll be stellar.

Based on everything they played at the Christmas show in LA last month from this new one -- something like ten songs! -- have ever released since 1994 or so, it'll be stellar.

been listening to them a lot again partic. that box set of b sides which is the first low release i bought for some reason.

so excited for this disc. nels cline is on it!, iirc

oh yes nels cline is only on awesome albums

oh yes, indeed

C'mon and release the album! One of the few I will buy day 1 of release.

The band took full advantage of Sacred Heart’s high, vaulted ceilings, natural reverb, and audible affinity for organ sounds and group singing.

Now THIS is the sort of good news I want to hear about this particular band!

have they had organs and group singing before?

they had a church choir from duluth play with them at one christmas show i saw, was lovely

xp - no, I just think that such elements could potentially add a really interesting dimension to the already hymn-like aspects of their sound.

tho tbh I'd be a lot more wary of the 'group singing' part if they were still working with Friddman

hooray!

Organs + more emphasis on vocal harmonies + more Mimi = always a good thing

in retrospect the great destroyer was notably awful

Indeed.

no fridmann = thank fucking god

'Drums & Guns' might be my favorite thing they've done (followed by 'Secret Name,' 'Songs for a Dead Pilot,' and the EP with Spring Heel Jack). But the second Retribution Gospel Choir album--the next work from Sparhawk--was unbelievably awful. Sounds like this album is being touted as a "return to form," which doesn't really excite me--I've loved that they've mostly tried new things over the last decade-plus. . . Fingers crossed, though.

in retrospect the great destroyer was notably awful

eh, it was uneven, but the high points -- monkey, silver rider, death of a salesman, california, just stand back -- were mesmerizing.

agreed re: the great destroyer. some really strong tunes there.

yeah i thought i liked monkey and i watched the video for it on youtube and i had never seen it before and i was like ugh maybe i misunderstood this band and they are really in fact terrible.

have you heard the version of monkey on the free ep they just released? a little softer, a little more in-line with the rest of their aesthetic. might change yr mind on the song.

from where I stand, Low have been the most dependably excellent *rock band* of the last 10-15 years. TGD being 'slightly uneven' (an accurate assessment, I would say) is pretty much the worst slight you can throw at them imo. So it is difficult to imagine the new record being something I will be unhappy with. I'm just pleased (and frankly a little relieved - I was getting worried there for a second) that they are finally getting around to releasing new material - and also that Alan seems to have regained his livelihood (fingers crossed).

ive had breaker in my head for like a week btw

murderer and violent past for me. has there been a better one-two punch of intensity to close an album over the past few years?

So stoked for this.

But the second Retribution Gospel Choir album--the next work from Sparhawk--was unbelievably awful.

no, it is great! but great destroyer is not so good.

Great Destroyer is their best album and I've never understood the no Mimi = no good argument. She's all over the album, just not singing solos!

i don't think the great destroyer's their best, but it WAS my first low album and brought me into the fold v. strongly, so it does something right!

Songs on the Murderer EP are better on the EP than they are on other records.

true

is secret name the consensus pick?

I don't think there is a consensus pick for Low.

I think Low is like Saturday Night Live in that your favorite season is always the one you grew up with

Think you're onto something here. I caught them twice on the first album tour and much as I love what they've done ever since I kinda can't get over those earliest songs still.

We've done the albums poll twice and I think the results were pretty evenly spread both times. CHTC is the canonical pick iirc. Or maybe that's just me.

yeah that's mine

I disagree, Whiney. Got into them much earlier, but Drums and Guns is my favourite.

Probably slightly less excited about this than I would have been had I not seen the Retribution Gospel Choir murder some of my favourite Low songs live, and now my faith is somewhat shaken.

i named drums & guns my fav record of 2007 at the time; may still be true

I also disagree, I "grew up" with "Things We Lost In the Fire", but "The Great Destroyer" is my favourite.

If there's a consensus pick, I figured it was either the debut or TWLITF.

See, if I had to guess at a consensus pick, I would think it's Curtain or Secret Name.

But the second Retribution Gospel Choir album--the next work from Sparhawk--was unbelievably awful.

I haven't heard it, but wasn't that recorded and released around the same time that Sparhawk was going through some sort of emotional breakdown/hospitalization? If so, that might explains its (alleged) awfulness more than anything.

Hmm, could be. But watching the recent documentary ('You May Need a Murderer') I got the impression 'Drums & Guns' reflected a lot of his darkest moments. The first RGC record was clearly just a little fun, simply produced--nothing great, but not offensive. The second Retribution Gospel Choir sounds like an awful mid-90s "alternative rock" album along the lines of Stone Temple Pilots or something; its production values are the audio equivalent of a Michael Bay movie.

I can't imagine I Could Live in Hope being your favorite Low LP, even if it was the one you grew up with. (Even if "Words" is the best song ever.)

Yeah, agree the early stuff, while charming, doesn't really stack up. They're one of the few artists I can think of whose creative trajectory has been mostly ascending throughout, especially over 16+ years. I got into them around '98, and that's around when I feel like they started really taking off.

'Things We Lost in the Fire' is great, but it always baffled me that it was apparently the one that "hit" with a larger audience. It's good, but not as good as 'Secret Name' or 'Trust' (the general dislike for which baffles me).

Trust might be my favorite on balance.

in tracing the nucleus of the bands aesthetic, I think the first two albums & related EPs etc. have aged just fine, though I would agree that they had yet to really come into their own. Still, I know plenty of others who would totally disagree with that.

The thing about their early ultra-spare & deliberately languid material - it was TOTALLY mesmerizing when played live. Those were the days when fans at their shows used to sit on the floor as a general rule, even in dingy little nightclubs.

Hahah yes, exactly -- my memories of seeing them for the first time in late 1993.

I wrote a whole series of posts last year on all of their albums and EPs, from Hope through Secret Name and touching on TWLITF. This post has links to everything.

Fridmann is always a wild card, but I think Drums and Guns was the band's best in quite some time, really loved that record. From what I've heard of this, I'm not a huge fan-- seems like a step backward to escape some of Sparhawk's songwriting demons that have been haunting him in the past few years. I don't think this band has ever made a "bad" album though, so still excited to hear this one in full.

one of the few artists I can think of whose creative trajectory has been mostly ascending throughout

thinking about low, i've been wondering lately which acts have gotten better with age.

xp - agreed. I'm pretty worn out on all the stock Fridmann production tricks at this point, but he managed to reign in his indulgences & focus on fine-tuning the details on D&G, and the record is all the better for it.

drums & guns was pretty much the only fridmann production i can recall liking in the last decade or so -- sounds great!

I haven't heard it, but wasn't that recorded and released around the same time that Sparhawk was going through some sort of emotional breakdown/hospitalization? If so, that might explains its (alleged) awfulness more than anything.

no, it was recorded two years ago. he did the first one around the time he was having a breakdown.

the second album is good, you are all crazy. it's way, way over produced (it's mixed by some hollywood guy who also worked on the paris hilton album I think? and avril lavigne?) but the songs are incredible.

Can we start talking about how "C'mon" is a boring and stupid the album title?

Alternate topic: my shoddy grammar after several beers, discus

C'mon Die Drunk

will see yr several, raise you several and suggest "c'mon" as a great, endearing title

there are some youtube fan-clips of these new songs being performed at recent gigs. low's a hell of a live-act, but i think i'll hold-off to hear the studio versions first.

love this band so much. i've had in metal on repeat all day -- it walks a fine line between loving parents and mental instability. the p4k review hits the nail-on-the-head, i think.

"In Metal" is a simply crushing Parker-sung ode to she and Sparhawk's new baby, Hollis. Parker's chilling voice, as she confesses her hopeless longing for the child to stay small forever, simultaneously attains both heartbreakingly desperation and jubilance: "Partly hate to see you grow/ And just like your baby shoes/ Wish I could keep your little body/ In metal." There's a bizarre David Lynch quality to the concept of immortalizing a baby in some kind of Han Solo freeze that prevents the song from crossing over into blatant sentimentalism. But Parker's affection for the child, who can be heard squeaking at low levels during the song's first verse, is not feigned. The song serves as a flawless finale, to the point that it can alter your view of the album as a whole.

i suppose this is technically off-topic. apologies. just consider this my "bumping" the thread.

There's a bizarre David Lynch quality to the concept of immortalizing a baby in some kind of Han Solo freeze that prevents the song from crossing over into blatant sentimentalism.

otm ^^

^ my favorite low song

Trust might be my favorite on balance.

― Simon H., Saturday, 22 January 2011 18:59 (Yesterday)

i love seeing trust getting some affection, since it's somewhat maligned in general, i think. it captures a side of them that has probably existed throughout but isn't really on the other records, i think; the growl and sinister silence of hearing them play. it has some weird, unique moments like point of disgust and tonight, but some of the smaller songs on there - like candy girl - are like dark flipsides to the stuff on, say, the curtain hits the cast/

x-post I always took "In Metal" less (more?) literally, that she just wanted to keep the kid in a cage-like crib.

but the "just like your baby shoes" -- like how ppl used to bronze their baby shoes, suggest the han solo thing.

wrt: the 2nd retribution gospel choir.

that album totally bums me out because i think it's the biggest failure of sparhawk's career, and it's totally down to the horrid, L.A. rock overmastered production job.

i've seen the band do basically that entire album live and it was transcendent, i think they are some great songs and sparhawk going all neil young is amazing, great guitarist, but yeah a harsh digital mess, absolutely crushed and impossible to listen to.

legend has it that there is another version of the album recorded with albini at electrical audio which i would love to hear.

well its like bronzing baby shoes

that 2d RGC disc seemed to lack hooks, other than the first-track, which is a jam.

I've thankfully given myself enough time between Low-athons that it's like listening to these albums for the first time when I put them on. "Trust" right now is sounding great. Always wondered why one of the most austere, no-frils bands, well, ever should choose to work with spilled toy box producers such as Tchad Blake and Dave Fridmann, though I wouldn't put it past Sparhawk to pick them for that very reason.

well, wrt "spilled toy box producers" and perhaps the reason to hire them, i read the band/label saying that c'mon is perhaps low's most accessible record to date.

trust is the best

I saw Low in '04 and they played a sick version of 'in metal', which you can hear on this link:

[Removed Illegal Link]

also this link leads one to something like 100 recordings of low live shows over the years (only on the first two pages of results, from what i can gather:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Low%22

whoops:

http://www.archive.org/details/low2004-02-27.aud.flac

dnr ppl didnt like trust???

wow!, thanks omar. i'd never heard of that website before. interesting archive.

That was my impression at the time--perhaps mostly the people who came in via "Things We Lost in the Fire"?

It's funny--I've been a fan since the late 90s, a couple albums into their career; and I interviewed them via email around the time of 'Trust,'; but I never managed to see them live till the 'Drums & Guns' tour. They played incredibly loudly, and started the show with a 20+ minute blitzkrieg version of "Do You Know How to Waltz?". Anyone know if that's something they were doing often on that tour? Sparhawk definitely seemed to be exorcising demons that night. Still hope to see them in the sit-down-church-like atmosphere, one day.

i just listened to the version of down by the river they did with the dirty three

The band took full advantage of Sacred Heart’s high, vaulted ceilings, natural reverb, and audible affinity for organ sounds and group singing.

Now THIS is the sort of good news I want to hear about this particular band!

― Blazes Boyband (Pillbox), Friday, January 21, 2011 3:54 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

have they had organs and group singing before?

― zvookster, Friday, January 21, 2011

i just listened to the version of down by the river they did with the dirty three

― plax (ico), Sunday, January 23, 2011

i was asking the above because i saw them recording "when i called upon your seed" with dirty three on tv and it was double-tracked mimi parker backed with woozy organ and it was nice

You know what's transcendent? The Daytrotter sessions version of "Sandinista"

Yeah, there are lots of good Low gigs on archive.org, these are two of my recent favourites:

http://www.archive.org/details/low2009-09-18.spbmc2 (10 minute version of "Shots and Ladders" as the set opener)
http://www.archive.org/details/low2000-11-04.flac (studio session on Dutch radio)

nice post on emusic about the forthcoming album.

thoughts on the new single (which is embedded in the blog-post)?

Lovely.

yeah it's pretty...maybe feels a little slight? i dunno...twinkly glockenspiel type sounds code as a little cliche "indie rock" to me now, but still...i think i'll end up loving it.

Oh wow oof. I really try not to be that they were better when they were indie-er kind of guy (i even really liked parts of that last sigur ros album), but that trifle is saccharine and thin and kind of shitty.

do they all have mustaches in the picture you get in the "download here" mail when you subscribe?

http://i55.tinypic.com/netg79.jpg

c'm0n

000h, you get the full album stream if you preorder at subp0p.c0m - the other tracks are all growly speedmetal.

really?

stan, don't tease me here, 'cause i am taking you seriously.

btw, can you hear nels cline's guitar on the other songs? he's supposed to be a guest on the disc.

000h, you get the full album stream if you preorder at subp0p.c0m

^_____________________________________^

cool cover!!

http://i.imgur.com/JzZag.jpg

of course it isn't :-)

First track is that Try To Sleep one
Second one is mimi harmonizing with herself, nice & warm & cosy & bit of a 70's feel imo (layers of acoustic guitars mostly, no nels yet?)
Third one could feature Nels guitar? I don't really know how he plays :-/ (bit of a Neil Young electric guitar feel here, but with a banjo as well)

banjo

yes, you read that correctly (third one really does have a Neil Young type guitar solo as well)

4 is slower, slide guitar - not quite a country tearjerker but I can hear the "nashville without the country" feel they describe in the promo text

fwiw, nels cline can either bring a restrained aggression and kick with his guitar (e.g., wilco's impossible germany) or a spacey, free-jazz-ish vibe (e.g., his solo discs). there's some similarities in tone (to my ear, at least) between cline and sparhawk's guitar sound, but cline is a world-class virtuoso, and i think you'd be able to hear him on the disc.

It sometimes takes a virtuoso to create effective atmospherics, maybe he's everywhere? (Haven't heard any clear virtuoso type solo things yet - it's all pretty slow)

5 mimi harmonizing with herself again (three or four mimi's at once?) - very nice
6 that "my love is for free" new song they played in that dutch church
7 quiet guitar tuning backwards feedback intro, maybe this 'll be the Nels moment? :-)

I'm going to stop describing it all now - order it yourself to hear more!

It's definitely Low, but manage to sound different yet again - maybe more adult (subtle strings and stuff) but I'm liking what I hear instantly.

6 that "my love is for free" new song they played in that dutch church

oooooh they played this a couple years ago on tour, i remember it! sooooooooooooooooooooo gooooooddd!!!

many thanks for the impressions. i think i'll order it, rather than just grabbing it from emusic.

some very held back flesh-eating guitar in the background in the penultimate track: maybe that's Nels? (together with slide guitar in the other ear)

the overwhelming feeling that suggests itself if I had to describe it in one word: warm

glad it sounds warm, i guess it's mixed by the dude that sonically raped that retribution gospel choir record

yeah, that sounds like nels. he's noise-y and has a strong gravitational pull in songs he's on (which is why i wish wilco would allow cline to cut-loose more on their tracks, like he does on impossible germany and the kicking-television version of handshake drugs).

which is why i wish wilco would allow cline to cut-loose more on their tracks

YES-- this is the only good thing about wilco ^^

oh i don't agree with that, but de gustibus non est disputandum

I really like "Try To Sleep"

03-16 Austin, TX - St. David's Sanctuary (SXSW)
04-06 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall *
04-14 Duluth, MN - Harbor City School Theater
04-16 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
04-20 Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
04-21 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
04-22 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
04-23 Pittsburgh, PA - Andy Warhol Museum
04-25 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
04-26 Washington, DC - Black Cat
04-29 Boston, MA - Paramount Center
04-30 Milford, CT - Daniel Street
05-02 Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club
05-03 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
05-16 Sheffield, England - Queens Social Club
05-17 Glasgow, Scotland - Classic Grand
05-18 Gateshead, England - The Sage Gateshead
05-19 Manchester, England - Club Academy
05-20 Bristol, England - Trinity
05-21 Brussels, Belgium - Botanique
05-23 Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje
05-24 Eindhoven, Netherlands - Catharina Church
05-25 Paris, France - Bataclan ^
05-27 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Sound Festival
05-30 Berlin, Germany - Lido
05-31 Hamburg, Germany - Knust
06-01 Cologne, Germany - Gebaude 9
06-03 London, England - Barbican

* with Explosions in the Sky
^ with Mercury Rev

On my third listen, more impressed every time.
Beautiful album.

which is why i wish wilco would allow cline to cut-loose more on their tracks
YES-- this is the only good thing about wilco ^^

― Damn this thread seems so....different without ilxor (ilxor)

http://i51.tinypic.com/257hpa8.jpg

Love the download, really looking fwd to an album which is not (by the sound of it) at least partly dominated by the production. And which can be listened to on headphones. My favourite sounding era of Low's albums is the Albini recorded ones, is this a little more back in that area?

lol markers

ok then

http://chairkickers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/LowMoustche.jpg

tixed up for an April show!

Still hope to see them in the sit-down-church-like atmosphere, one day.

Don't know where you live but that Connecticut show is being billed as a seated show. Place is pretty small to begin with, I think the capacity for seated shows there is somewhere around 160 folks.

Has anyone been able to access the stream of the album after pre-ordering? It won't work for me....if anyone would be kind enough to rip it, I'd be very very grateful!

Just finishing up my first listen to this. Found the first two tracks too bright and over-adorned with chimes and Flaming Lips-style oohs and aahs, but it gets considerably darker from there. Lots of slow, menacing tracks, which is pretty much what they do best. Love the tension; it does seem like a bit of a return to the Albini/Kranky records.

Somebody will have to explain the Al Green lyric to me, though.

Looking forward to this. (And for the record I say Fridmann's best production work is The Delgados - Hate.)

Contact subpop if the stream isn't working for you. xxpost

Their 1996 Finally EP ended with a track called Turning Over, this album's final track is Something's Turning Over.

I wonder if that's Alan's subconsciousness reminding him to turn over a new leaf after every record or my subconsciousness ridiculously overanalysing everything again.

"why you motherfuckers trying to be like al green" is a line on Kool Keith's The Return Of Dr. Octagon album, according to google?

Ok, so it's not exactly the same.

Low, Witches: "all you guys out there trying to act like Al Green"
Dr. Octagon, Al Green: "motherfuckers try to be Al Green"

Look. I'ma stop after this because it's getting anal, but I've listened to both lines 3 times in a row now and I'm not convinced it isn't a quote after all.

"all you guys out there trying to act like Al Green, you're all weak"
"all you motherfuckers try to be Al Green, motherfuckers are weak"

^^^ lyrical extracts enriching my anticipation of this record

if that's not a quote that's one hell of a coincidence

why hasn't this leaked yet? labels seem to be doing a better job of keeping a lid on things these days (pj harvey too)

If you give the fans the chance to hear the album when they preorder, you've eliminated a big part of the leak-searching demographic, imho.
Not the indiscriminate leak-swapping people who've gotten used to only downloading stuff for free that was uploaded by people who got the promo for free as well, that's a whole other crowd. But a fan who's not in a release group and who paid for hearing the stream? Most of those will think twice before uploading and risking all kinds of repercussions.

It only takes one to leak it though, that's still a problem - don't know what they can do about that. Watermarking that stream like they do with some promos?

Dude, why is Low opening for Explosions in the Sky? I was excited to see Low, but I am having a really hard time shelling out when Low might now even get a whole hour to themselves. What a bummer.

Uhh, this in relation to Radio City Music Hall show. Low barely even gets a mention on the Radio City page. I feel like I am in bizarro world all of the sudden.

Re: Radio City - On Low's website they mention that they will be playing a headline gig in NYC a few weeks after the Explosions in the Sky show, but there's no info yet on when or where.

Got my tickets for the Manchester show yesterday, cannot wait. Last time I saw them was their Christmas show here a couple of years back (replete with imebecilic heckler) - it's been too long.

why hasn't this leaked yet? labels seem to be doing a better job of keeping a lid on things these days (pj harvey too)

Has the label actually sent out promos, though? If not, that would be the reason. Ppl aren't gonna convert a stream into a bunch of mp3s and upload them to a filesharing site, it's too much work.

They will be playing in the Catharinakerk in Eindhoven (the Netherlands) on May 24th, it's where that free live EP (and the complete show I linked to a while ago) was recorded!

http://www.effenaar.nl/nieuws/578

Recent Austrailian Concert Stream here: http://www.moshcam.com/low/factory-theatre-819.aspx

Hah, thank heavens (in re Low playing a New York headlining gig). No offense Explosions in the Sky, but I have no interest in seeing you. Low on the otherhand! Really hope they play on a night I can go though.

It's a grower.

The Al Green line, and the general soul feel of the chords and melodies (though not of course the singing) reminds me of a forgotten fantasy of mine--Ray Charles singing "Over the Ocean."

My great Relisten to Low-athon has revealed that, indeed, "The Great Destroyer" is the one I'm least likely to play again any time soon.

Has the label actually sent out promos, though? If not, that would be the reason. Ppl aren't gonna convert a stream into a bunch of mp3s and upload them to a filesharing site, it's too much work.

Plenty of people do this, it's just that the prominent torrent sites (like what.cd) vigilantly guard against the sharing of crappy stream transfers nowadays. People will try to do it but immediately get reported.

Or so I hear. I personally purchase everything I listen to on CD, vinyl, mp3, cassette, and Edison cylinder

<3 C'mon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTj8eAYZbW0

i still haven't heard this so this is pretty exciting. i hope some of the crazy drums and freaky organs made it on to the lp.

this band can do no wrong imo

Just that opening guitar alone has me excited. Also "Try to Sleep" has really grown on me.

if that's not a quote that's one hell of a coincidence

― basedketball (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, February 5, 2011 10:47 AM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark

from here:

In the song “Witches,” there is a really intriguing line, “All you guys out there trying to act like Al Green.” What do you mean by that?

=i actually stole that line from kool keith. al green is the king of sexy soulful singing. who wouldn’t want to be like him?

lol

No New York shows posted as far as I can tell (supporting EITS just does not cut it). Milford CT though? Not cool.

http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/15/simpsons_nelson_haha2.jpg

i'm planning on going to the madison show

No New York shows posted as far as I can tell (supporting EITS just does not cut it). Milford CT though? Not cool.

Venue is about 100 yards from the Metro North train stop in case you NYC types are thinking about making the trip.

Well, that is cooler. 100 yards isn't so bad. And no offense to CT (I grew up there actually), just don't understand skipping NYC. Perhaps there will be more shows in the future though. Thanks for the info kwhitehead.

As mentioned upthread, Low's website says that they will be playing a headline gig in NYC a few weeks after the Explosions in the Sky show, but there's no info yet on when or where.

heard this tonight & it's predictably gorgeous if a bit low-key

also: HOLY SHIT "nothing but heart" omgggggg

The first four songs are terrible and among the worst things Low have ever recorded, but the album really picks up from there.

I couldn't disagree more - "Witches" and "Done" are both great. Highlights are "Especially Me" and "Nightingale" IMO.

Nightingale is the only song on the album I'm still not feeling.

"nightingale" is the calm before the storm, so to speak—check the sequencing

I haven't heard the leak, but I'm guessing it's a low quality webrip?

"Especially Me" is so beautiful. Mimi is magical.

This fucking song. </3

hopefully some of this helps...
Nels was kind enough to play on two tracks, some amazing slide on "Done", and some jaw dropping guitarmaggedon on "Nothing But Heart" (though the big intro guitar is all Alan)
The crazy drums and organs did end up making the record in a variety of ways (hopefully not too crazy).
That's not a glockenspiel at the beginning of "Try to Sleep", it's a tiny tiny music box-ish hand crank thing that originally played "Hey Jude" but was coaxed note by note into playing TTS... Hopefully that makes it a tad less cliche. We thought a fitting bit for the song, but to each their own.

On a personal note, as far as best/worst album goes, i think they're all great for different reasons. I had to make a mixtape for a friend last year that turned into two cd's (couldnt make just one). Most of the albums were represented, but it seemed for my 2CD mix, Trust had the most. Secret Name was well represented too, i think partly because that's the album that got me started. It's really interesting in reading the above posts how dramatically different two people who obviously love music can feel about the same album. Part of what makes music neat i guess. So personal.

mB

Thank you "mysterious insider" for the info :)

Obv. I'd never guessed it it wasn't a glockenspiel, which I thought too. Nice to hear how they did it.

Secret Name is my favourite Low album, I've played it endlessly. But that goes for most of Low's albums. The only one I really could not get into was 'Drums and Guns', so I've been anticipating 'C'mon' heavily. And so far, with a couple of spins, it's safe to say it really delivers, brings what I enjoy so much in Low. Which is difficult to pin-point, subtle moments that just make me go "ahh yes... Low..."

Thank you "mysterious insider" Mr. B. :)

album was co-produced and mixed (quite nicely, btw!) by m4tt b3ckl3y... "mB"

i'm not sayin... i'm just sayin

i've played this 5-6 times now btw and this is really, really solid w/ a couple absolute monsters, as usual w/ low

"Nothing But Heart" builds amazingly.

^^ yes, amazing track

for those who haven't heard the album yet, this is one of its better cuts--

http://pitchfork.com/news/42006-new-low-especially-me

i really like this one

It vaguely reminds me of "Spanish Air" by Slowdive.

That is, of course, a great thing.

has this been posted yet? LOW by nels cline http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/index.php?blog=6&title=low_by_nels_cline&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

new song is gorgeous

Nice piece by Nels, thanks for the link! xpost

yeah that's fantastic

I was underwhelmed by this the first time I listened to it, but I look forward to giving it more chances. Seems intentionally ... lighter than I expected. Or at least not so oppressive, which may or may not ultimately work to its benefit.

Something of a disappointment, after a couple listens, especially after the shocking brilliance of 'Drums & Guns'. I guess I like my Low a little weird, ever since the 'Songs for Dead Pilots'/'Bombscare EP' days. Mostly it just seemed to lack songcraft, flow, and the production was obtrusive and slick (and I'm a person who really loved 'Trust'). Have to give it more time, but it's the first time in a decade I've felt like it was Low-on-autopilot-- even "The Great Destroyer," which I didn't love, I had to respect for trying something new for the band, even if it didn't succeed.

Agreed with something distant upthread that the second half is stronger, and the first half distractingly ... off.

After one listen to the leaked C'mon, a problem for me is the emergence in Low of this seeming inevitability in aging bands, that is, the lyrics becoming more plain and direct rather than obtuse/poetical/lyrical, and using that directness to moralize/preach/soapbox. One of the Mimi songs sounds ready for CCM and is about as lyrically presumptuous and trite as anything else you find there.

that nels piece sure makes me want to hear the record. i didn't know about the low documentary, is it good?

Very.

like their music, it's understated and very intense at times

finally got around to this. for me the big keepers are "especially me", "majesty/magic", and "nothing but heart". looking forward to seeing them in a few weeks.

Mimi's countermelody on "Nothing But Heart" :O

There's an acoustic EP with some copies of the album, apparently?

Here's one track Alan played in Brussels this week (more during the radio show on Sunday)

http://www.stubru.be/programmas/intomusic/lowakoestisch

I'm finding it lighter, more comfy, dare I say in places blander than 'Drums and Guns'. Maybe it's a little less produced than that was. It's very nice in places but yeah, somewhat of a disappointment here.

yeah i would have loved "drums & gun pt 2", but didn't honestly expect that at all

what the http://music-mix.ew.com/2011/04/12/low-john-stamos-video-try-to-sleep/

wau

I've only managed to hear the first half (albeit three or four times) but I'm really digging it.

this album is lovely. definitely a turn away from the drums and guns experimentation, but i really like it.

hollis sparhawk and cyrus sparhawk - back-up vocals

yay!

I'm really into this. Very nice to hear some lead vocals from Mimi again.

Does everybody know there is an acoustic ep available from only a small handful of places?

Everyone who preordered the album from subpop got a download link for the ep too.

I asked SubPop for a physical copy and they said yes. If you fancy it that might be the answer.

Drowned in Sound has track by track commentary & a long interview with Alan

http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4142413-low-c-mon-track-by-track

I like the cryptic comments but I can't say I understand what the songs mean any better now.

the new songs sounded great last night

I like that every new Low album feels like it could be my favorite.

I watched "You May Be a Murderer" last night... wow, what a sad film. It gave me a newfound appreciation for Drums and Guns... but I'm all the happier knowing C'mon didn't continue in that direction. Does that mean Alan is less on edge? Jesus, I hope so.

'you see everything' could be an ida song

i think this is their best engineered record since 'curtain'

dope live show

Indeed. Saw them Monday in Toronto. Surprised to see the drummer from RCG playing keyboards. Wish the show could have gone on forever.

haha i was @ that show. i missed part of the show but it was great - was surprised by how good they sounded for some reason

Cannot stop playing "Nothing But Heart."

"Nothing But Heart" is one of those songs that could go on forever.

My thoughts on C'mon.

loving that "Africa" cover

love the Especially Me / Nothing but Heart love here :D

Caught them in Manchester last week. Show was not quite sold out, but pretty well attended and a really good, attentive crowd. I've seen them on every UK tour since Things We Lost... came out and by now I suppose I should be used to their mesmeric and wonderful live performances, but srsly I could go to see them every.damn.week. They played most of C'mon and I was really happy to hear "Two Step" and "Sunflower" again; because their back catalogue is so large and rich now I'll always be disappointed until they start playing 3-hour shows like The Cure.

A couple of observations on the current tour: they looked *much* happier to be playing together than last time I saw them, plenty of smiling and whispered chat between Alan and Mimi, and although Alan didn't say a word until quite late into the gig he looked relaxed and seemed to be enjoying himself. Also, maybe it's the royalties from the Plant covers, but he's really upgraded his guitars since last time out: a lovely Gretsch for a couple of songs and the rest of the time a stunning Les Paul trad with Bigsby which he got an absolutely exquisite sound from. He's very self-deprecating about his playing, but I'd rank him up there with the best live guitarists I've seen.

agree w/ the 3 hour set thing, though it's not even enough for the Cure these days: i saw them three times in 2008 (i think) in three texas cities, and they still managed to play 40-50% unique songs each night. amazing shows

Sparhawk's also one of the few near-exclusive open G players aside from Keith Richards. Like Richards, it leads him to some interesting approaches.

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/22/136498043/low-tiny-desk-concert

they'll play the lido in berlin-kreuzberg on monday. anyone else from ilm going there?

All Alan Sparhawk wants is a Pepsi: http://www.avclub.com/articles/portland-cello-project-and-alan-sparhawk-of-low-co,70709/

So Jeff Tweedy is producing the new Low record apparently. Don't know how I feel about this.

I'm cool with it. Aside from liking Jeff Tweedy, I don't think any producer has ever been able to mess up Low's sound. (Has Tweedy ever served as producer on another record? Does he produce the Wilco records?)

I'm struggling to think of a recent band who's worked with a more eclectic set of producers, actually.

really? save for the last dude it's just been indie "names"

thank god they stopped using fridmann though

Does anyone at all rate Fridmann anymore?

I like both of the Fridmann LPs more than C'mon.

i love the actual songs, but not so much the sounds

i love how drums & guns sounds, but i've always put that down to sparhawk since it's so sample-based. i think i remember reading that he put all the loops etc together?

yeah Drums & Guns is fantastic, but a lot of my favourite albums are produced by fridmann (Embryonic, The Woods)

can't believe i skipped this one back then, don't think anything will surpass Things We Lost in the Fire for me but this is close and easily my second favorite now.

this album is probably my fave by them, it is just so unbelievably smooth. their 2011 berlin concert was awesome. the audience was so quiet & focussed.