Low: Classic or classic?

Beautiful take from Greg Kot here:

I can't think of a band I loved more than Low since they released their first album in 1994. It's tragic that Mimi Parker -- a mom, a wife and a quiet powerhouse of musical creativity -- is gone so soon, but she and her band have given us a trove of great recordings that feel timeless, as are the memories we hold of their one-of-a-kind concerts.
In addition to being a remarkable singer, Mimi was a sensitive and nuanced drummer. I focused on that part of her massive contribution to Low's music in this review of Low at Metro in 2002: "Parker stood behind the kind of drum kit a novice might reject for its lack of potential: a snare, tom-tom and lone cymbal. A tambourine represented her sole extravagance. Yet with deft application of mallets and brushes she painted portraits of an interior world beyond words: What sound does the snow make when it falls? A child when it sleeps? A drowning man at peace with his fate?"

How did their collaboration as songwriters work? The credits just read Low, but who tended to write most of the lyrics and music?

some of their publishing credits do give a bit more detail than the liner notes - there's plenty of songs credited to just one or the other, plenty credited to both, also some with whoever the bassist at the time was. my impression from that is that alan seemed to write more than mimi did but overall they were both bringing a lot to the table and actively collaborating.

hard to process that I will never hear another new Low album.

The march is over
The great destroyer
She passes through you like a knife

RIP Mimi

I listened to "The Invisible Way" all the way through for the first time in many years today, and I admit that it is much better than I have given it credit for upthread. Certainly not their best record, but one thing in particular stands out about it: Mimi sounds *amazing* on it, Tweedy really did the power of her voice justice. "So Blue" is incredible.

― poppin' debussy (the table is the table), Monday, November 7, 2022 10:18 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

100%

For me it's the Great Destroyer that's a little uneven. but when they hit, they hit in a big way. Silver Rider approaches Neil Young level of greatness--you kinda know what they're singing about, but maybe not, a la Powderfinger. The uptempo songs on that one (except When I Go Deaf) aren't as successful for me, but i'd never say it was a bad album--i'm sure people connect with it on a deep level. there's really no other band like them. I think it speaks to their power how there's no one consensus best Low record.

I think Mimi generally wrote the lyrics to the songs she sang

There are some songs of hers that really ring true as "cancer" experiences, since I know she had been ill before this most recent bout.

"I fell down the stairs
I wished I were dead"

from "Embrace" channels some serious chemo feelings of weakness, impotent despair, and rage. That song remains one of my favorites of theirs, tho I admit that given the poll results last year, many of my favorite Low songs seem to be marginal to other listeners.

Wonder how much of “Hey What” dealt with her diagnosis. Songs like “All Night” and “I Can Wait” quickly jumped out.

If I could trade, I could trade, I would trade, I would trade, I would trade
I would give you a break
Help you carry the weight

yeah. was thinking about that the other day.

this was from this summer, and Alan's looks at Mimi at during the opener are something

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5rTf7s1iN0

also, I hadn't realized they were on yet another bassist; who is she and when did she join?

Liz Draper, she's a super pro, I think they knew her from being in Charlie Parr's band

https://www.macphail.org/faculty/liz-draper/#:~:text=Liz%20Draper%2C%20classically%20and%20jazz,and%20Davina%20and%20the%20Vagabonds.

cool, she did a good job.

post Zak, being a 'bassist in low' is essentially agreeing to be a nameless appendage, there to fill up some sound, with few expectations (can't for the life of me remember the name of the last guy, he was in retribution gospel choir).

i think they finally started calling themselves a duo for the last album? there was the RTG guy and then another guy between him and liz draper

draper plays with a lot acts, i would imagine she didn't want to give up that income or flexibility either

steve garrington was their bassist before hey what, but he quit at the start of the sessions for family reasons iirc and alan and mimi decided to make the album as a duo (well, trio if you count bj burton). draper joined for the hey what tour

garrington appeared to actually be pretty crucial to the sound of double negative at least - he was responsible for a lot of the synths & samples on it

RIP Mimi. Always loved the way that got namechecked in this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9XR5CynN-k

always wondered if the Randy that tells her the dude lives in Minneapolis is Randy Hawkins, First Ave sound engineer/touring engineer tons of bands

Hmm. Know nothing about that, but it seems likely.

I went for a walk on Sunday morning listening to "Nothing But Heart," not exactly a typical song for them but it sounds incredible, and I love the way that Mimi's voice so gradually takes over the song.

"Nothing But Heart" was our first dance at our wedding 😣

"Nothing But Heart" was our first dance at our wedding 😣

― insane oatmeal raisin cookie posse (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, November 8, 2022 bookmarkflaglink

Ours was Two-Step!

need to make a poll for if you've been a wedding guest and thrilled when the wedding couple (or bride/father, etc.) dance extends beyond the 4 minute mark.

Lol I never truly grasped how slow and long Two-Step was until I danced to it in front my entire family and friends

Realized today that I Could Live in Hope is the only album of theirs I don't have, didn't realize it was so hard to get ahold of now. The 2011 2xLP reissue goes for $250, even the CD isn't available for less than $80 right now. This needs a reissue.

iirc the band was having a hard time getting hold of the masters from vernon yard

Yeah, I saw some references when poking around to Vernon Yard refusing to release them or do anything with them at all, which is a shame.

A friend posted this Pan•American track featuring Mimi's vocals on Twitter - had no idea it existed.

https://panamerican.bandcamp.com/track/code

And MONO uploaded live footage from 2017 of them playing "Majesty/Magic" with Low

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

need to make a poll for if you've been a wedding guest and thrilled when the wedding couple (or bride/father, etc.) dance extends beyond the 4 minute mark.

― Western® with Bacon Flavor, Wednesday, November 9, 2022 12:21 AM (eighteen hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

We did a "Everyone can join them" at some point reasonably early

Next morning we did brunch with both sets of parents and my new mother-in-law was like "What was that song you did your first dance to?" and I was like "They're this band called Low, they're from Minneapolis and they play these really slow and quiet songs, did you like it?" And she goes "Oh nooooo." XD

found a promo CD of curtain at the record shop today. bit of a time capsule. also picked up the great destroyer, which i regret ever glazing over... it's belting.

who else could write a song about starting a pirate radio station out of the back of your friend's ambulance and driving off into the night?

this was tough news for me. I went to see Low with my late wife for our 2nd date, on Valentine's Day in 2003, at the Union Chapel in London. they were one of her favourite bands. by complete coincidence I was wearing her Low t-shirt on Saturday. it has an octopus on it, which for convoluted reasons I don't even really remember, was one of our symbols.

hugs to you, bovarism

x 2!

Realized today that I Could Live in Hope is the only album of theirs I don't have, didn't realize it was so hard to get ahold of now. The 2011 2xLP reissue goes for $250, even the CD isn't available for less than $80 right now. This needs a reissue.

― a superficial sheeb of intelligence (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 9 November 2022 20:50 (yesterday) link

i remember getting those when Plain reissued the LPs except for Curtain Hits the Cast which I've been kicking myself for skipping.

ha, that's the only one of those three I have. I don't even have my CDs of the first two any longer (which is fine). but I'll never give up my Christmas CD.

Hugs to you bovarism

I ordered the Japanese CD of 'Double Negative' weeks ago (second attempt at doing so), solely because it has a 2nd CD with Mimi-lead song called "It's All Been Done". It arrived yesterday and sent me right back to tears.

My husband bought the tape of Double Negative when we saw them in March— still haven’t cracked it open yet, for whatever reason.

I did order a shirt a few days ago, and have found a frame shop to frame the beautiful tour poster we got.

listening to the curtain hits the cast on my stereo really loud
this band was heavy

"was" -> still hard to process this

https://drone-not-drones.bandcamp.com/track/low-2

https://drone-not-drones.bandcamp.com/track/alan-sparhawk-3
https://drone-not-drones.bandcamp.com/track/alan-sparhawk-2
https://drone-not-drones.bandcamp.com/track/low

https://drone-not-drones.bandcamp.com/track/alan-sparhawk

all these only available as part of 28 hour downloads!

This was a nice remembrance: https://pitchfork.com/features/afterword/low-mimi-parker/

Low never had a hit single

I'm shocked that "Just Like Christmas" isn't played all the time every year.

little drummer boy was in a gap commercial

Yeah, but that one is slow and moody (of course). "Just Like Christmas" is pretty and downright jaunty.

listening to the curtain hits the cast on my stereo really loud
this band was heavy

Just note that I’m not making light of Alan’s struggles, but Curtain in particular brings me to a very deep place in my psyche— 19 years old, semi-closeted, living in a small town in Ohio in the winter, depressed, not drinking but on all kinds of pills and hallucinogens and weed all the time, just lying in my bed playing it absolutely full fucking blast and pretending like my body didn’t exist.

It’s a really powerful record besides those associations, but fuck if it doesn’t pull me back to one of the darkest times of my life and make me feel them in some way again. It’s why I love it and also why it makes me cry.

"Just Like Christmas" is pretty and downright jaunty.

Sonically for sure...and definitely not lyrically!