LOW - "Double Negative" - Page 2

_tunic_ · 09.08.2018, 01:57 PM

First Listen: Low, 'Double Negative'

it's left me completely speechless so far. On the one hand it's awful with the distortion, especially on the vocals. To me it's a sacrilege to mess with Mimi's vocals. And I hate the R&B triphop Aphex Twin whatever fake drums.
But goddamn it's so good!

The Soup Nazi · 09.14.2018, 11:15 PM

My First Concert: Alan Sparhawk of Low
"The opening band was so disturbing that no one wanted to stand close to them."

Quote:

Musical awakenings come in all forms. For an adolescent Alan Sparhawk in Bemidji, Minnesota, he has Minnesota punk legends The Suburbs to thank for opening his eyes (and ears).

Sparhawk has undoubtedly served as the same sort of musical inspiration for so many as the guitarist/vocalist for Low. The band's genre-bending explorations on Double Negative (their new album on Sub Pop) show that Sparhawk and company aren't slowing anytime soon, even after a quarter century of making music.

In this special Under the Radar series, we asked Sparhawk to tell us about the first concert experience he could recall.

I remember being out with my parents on a field on a hillside. It was likely some outdoor concert with a stage down this hill. I remember as a teenager asking my parents if they ever took me to Woodstock but were just too embarrassed to tell me, because it would have been right around that time.

I'm at that stage where I don't like talking about my age, but I would have been one or two. I just remember being distinctly aware of the ground and the air and that there was music in it. I remember knowing that there was earth and there was the sky and music was flowing through it. I don't know. It's a weird impression that I remember.

After that, the first punk band I saw was The Suburbs when I was like 14 or something. That blew my mind completely and it set my imagination on fire. When there's only one or two shows every once in a while that comes through at the college an hour away...

I think an older friend took me and said, 'Hey, do you want to go see the show? It's kind of a punk band.' I was like, 'Oh, really? I've heard of that. I'm in.' Then it just blew my mind and expectations to the ceiling. I thought, 'This is it! This is my place!' I was focused.

That show was everything. The opening band was so disturbing that no one wanted to stand close to them. Halfway through the set, the drummer just stopped and just about jumped off stage trying to attack some guy who was starting a fight in the audience. I thought, 'Holy crap! This is amazing. These people are so alive.'

When you live out in the sticks on the edge of civilization, that stuff is like a message from God.

Severian · 09.15.2018, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _tunic_

First Listen: Low, 'Double Negative'

it's left me completely speechless so far. On the one hand it's awful with the distortion, especially on the vocals. To me it's a sacrilege to mess with Mimi's vocals. And I hate the R&B triphop Aphex Twin whatever fake drums.
But goddamn it's so good!

Hey now, they’re trying something different. More adventurous than what a lot of their peers are doing... if they’re doing anything anymore.

It’s going to take a while to unpack this one, but yeah, it’s amazing for sure. I was not expecting to be surprised by a band I’ve been listening to for so long. There’s something to be said for a willingness to do something drastically different, and that’s what this is.

I don’t listen to any artist to hear them make the same sounds every few years. If they do, I usually stop paying close attention. For me, this is super welcome.

hipster_bebop_junkie · 09.25.2018, 12:30 AM

Alan Sparhawk collaborates with vocals on a song from Timbre Ghost's new album, "Life, Death, & Disintegration":
https://timbreghost.bandcamp.com/alb...disintegration

hipster_bebop_junkie · 10.04.2018, 09:25 AM

New video for "Poor Sucker":
https://youtu.be/ob0CILJ93bA

...And, Alan loves American Football:
http://thequietus.com/articles/25403...rican-football

Bytor Peltor · 11.02.2018, 10:42 AM

The Tour starts TONIGHT in St. Paul

You can Stream tonight’s performance LIVE.

_tunic_ · 11.09.2018, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bytor Peltor

The Tour starts TONIGHT in St. Paul

You can Stream tonight’s performance LIVE.

FYI: there's now an upgraded version shared on Dime without the missing audio and sync issues. Probably should be on YT too

Ask a Grown Woman: Mimi Parker

The Soup Nazi · 11.11.2018, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _tunic_

Ask a Grown Woman: Mimi Parker

Beautiful, thanks for the link.

The Soup Nazi · 11.11.2018, 09:36 PM

From Under The Radar:

Quote:

Low on Double Negative
Pushing the Boundaries

If you're looking for someone to congratulate (or blame), Alan Sparhawk points to Dave Fridmann. It was over a decade ago when Sparhawk and his wife Mimi Parker, the core members of Low, joined forces with Fridmann, the famed producer for The Flaming Lips, Sparklehorse, and Sleater-Kinney among others, for the first of two consecutive albums, 2005's The Great Destroyer and 2007's Drums and Guns.

http://www.undertheradarmag.com/inte...uble_negative/

The Soup Nazi · 12.06.2018, 06:29 PM

So far, Double Negative has been chosen album of the year by Uncut, musicOMH, Resident and Truck Music Store. It's also made #10 on The Wire, #18 on BBC Radio 6's, #9 on Deluxe/The Drift Record Shop, #10 on Exclaim!, #3 on Fopp, #8 on Gaffa (Denmark), #2 on Gaffa (Sweden), #2 on OOR, #9 on Paste, #8 on The Quietus, #8 on Stereogum, and #2 on Vulture.

https://www.metacritic.com/feature/c...albums-of-2018

Now, since Anna Calvi's Hunter only features on a grand total of ONE of the lists listed (heh) above, none of this means jack.

Bytor Peltor · 12.14.2018, 11:11 AM

#8

Slowcore pioneers Low first introduced electronics to their moody, minimal instrumental palette cautiously, on 2015’s Ones and Sixes; the change, partially brought about by working with producer BJ Burton, helped revitalize both their sound and creativity. On Double Negative (also recorded with Burton), those electronics become a key component, truly directing the album—warping vocals (opener “Quorum” feels like a constantly-interrupted transmission), incorporating rhythmic noise (“Dancing and Blood”), adding a glacial effect to guitars (“Poor Sucker”). It took the group nearly two years of trial and error to craft. This is all true, but it doesn’t capture what a terrifying, majestic, heavy gut-punch of an album Double Negative is, how emotionally affecting it is, how it feels like an ice cave one crawls into to find solace from worse weather and to escape potential predators. A stunning album, one that reveals new depths with every play.

-Jes Skolnik

Severian · 12.14.2018, 09:52 PM

One of the best albums of the year.

_tunic_ · 12.19.2018, 01:20 PM

there's this old concert recording on YT, audio only. It's from 1998 in Belgium, don't think it's on Archive.org, and probably never will. So here it is:

Low (US) Maybe they are not liking the humans. Live cd-r. 17th May 1998 (Remastered)

_tunic_ · 12.19.2018, 02:01 PM

in case there's anyone wanting to hear more of Low and don't know where to start? This might be of help:
Celebrate the Catalog: The complete Low discography

they rate every full-length Low album, the scores are all super high though.

Not included HOW COULD THEY the best album for these time of year:

the Christmas EP!

The Soup Nazi · 12.19.2018, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _tunic_

It's from 1998 [...]

Speaking of (and please forgive my ignorance), which '98 concert is the one where members of GY!BE joined Low to perform "Do You Know How To Waltz?"? I gotta have it. NOW.

_tunic_ · 12.20.2018, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Speaking of (and please forgive my ignorance), which '98 concert is the one where members of GY!BE joined Low to perform "Do You Know How To Waltz?"? I gotta have it. NOW.

until now a lossless version of that song has never been shared, let alone the full set of Low. The GYBE set has been shared however: https://archive.org/details/gybe1998-10-10

the only recording that does exist is the one that has ben floating around the interwebs for years in awful lossy quality, such as on youtube:
Godspeed You Black Emperor with LOW - Do You Know How to Waltz ?! LIVE [HD]

_tunic_ · 12.20.2018, 04:30 AM

Here's Low's touring schedule for the first 6 months of the next year, copied from their site. They'll be playing the beautiful open air theatre Rivierenhof on 4th of July, which is where I saw them for the very first time when they played the Things We Lost In The Fire album in full, in July 2006

05 Feb
E-Werk
Erlangen, Germany

06 Feb
Kulturkirche Köln
Cologne, Germany

07 Feb
Sankt Peter
Frankfurt, Germany

08 Feb
Uebel & Gefährlich
Hamburg, Germany

09 Feb
VoxHall
Aarhus, Denmark

11 Feb
Koncerthuset
København, Denmark

12 Feb
Pustrvik
Gothenburg, Sweden

13 Feb
Parkteatret Scene
Oslo, Norway

14 Feb
Kagelbanan
Stockholm, Sweden

15 Feb
Antigel Festival
Geneva, Switzerland

08 Mar
Globe Hall
Denver, CO

09 Mar
Meow Wolf
Santa Fe, NM

11 Mar
Valley Bar
Phoenix, AZ

12 Mar
Marty's On Newport
Tustin, CA

13 Mar
Moustache Bar
Tijuana, Mexico

14 Mar
Lodge Room
Los Angeles, CA

15 Mar
Lodge Room
Los Angeles, CA

16 Mar
Great American Music Hall
San Francisco, CA

18 Mar
Star Theater Portland
Portland, OR

19 Mar
Imperial Vancouver
Vancouver, Canada

20 Mar
Neumos
Seattle, WA

22 Mar
Treefort Music Fest
Boise, ID

23 Mar
Velour Live Music Gallery Llc
Provo, UT

30 Mar
Rewire Festival
The Hague, Netherlands

01 Apr
Le 106 Club
Rouen, France

02 Apr
STEREOLUX
Nantes, France

03 Apr
L'Epicerie Moderne
Lyon, France

05 Apr
Hall
Padova, Italy

06 Apr
Teatro Antoniano
Bologna, Italy

08 Apr
Auditorium Parco della Musica - Sala Sinopoli
Rome, Italy

31 May
PRIMAVERA SOUND
Barcelona, Spain

04 Jul
Openluchttheater Rivierenhof
Deurne, Belgium

05 Jul
Down The Rabbit Hole
Ewijk, Netherlands

The Soup Nazi · 12.20.2018, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _tunic_

until now a lossless version of that song has never been shared, let alone the full set of Low. The GYBE set has been shared however: https://archive.org/details/gybe1998-10-10

the only recording that does exist is the one that has ben floating around the interwebs for years in awful lossy quality, such as on youtube:
Godspeed You Black Emperor with LOW - Do You Know How to Waltz ?! LIVE [HD]

Awful lossy quality it is, then. Thanks for the links, _tunic_.

Skuj · 12.22.2018, 03:48 AM

FUCK!!!

I've spent the last 3 hours with this. It's epic and sparse at the same time. It's a thing of beauty.

For years I've observed Low threads here, and how they grow and grow, while I thought "meh...whatever". But now I see the light. (Or is it the dark?)

Bitches, review this album! (I will try to do the same when my thoughts are more coherent.)

This video is fucking great, and the first 3 tracks work wonderfully together: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jvEozu4Obfs#

PS: Fuck Trump.

Diesel · 12.22.2018, 10:13 AM

Review: Sounds like Massive Attack with the volume turned up too loud.

09.08.2018, 01:57 PM	#21
_tunic_ invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: I could live in eurHope Posts: 3,944	First Listen: Low, 'Double Negative' it's left me completely speechless so far. On the one hand it's awful with the distortion, especially on the vocals. To me it's a sacrilege to mess with Mimi's vocals. And I hate the R&B triphop Aphex Twin whatever fake drums. But goddamn it's so good! __________________ what comes first, the music or the words?
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

09.25.2018, 12:30 AM	#24
hipster_bebop_junkie 100% Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Mexico Posts: 787	Alan Sparhawk collaborates with vocals on a song from Timbre Ghost's new album, "Life, Death, & Disintegration": https://timbreghost.bandcamp.com/alb...disintegration
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

10.04.2018, 09:25 AM	#25
hipster_bebop_junkie 100% Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Mexico Posts: 787	New video for "Poor Sucker": https://youtu.be/ob0CILJ93bA ...And, Alan loves American Football: http://thequietus.com/articles/25403...rican-football
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

11.02.2018, 10:42 AM	#26
Bytor Peltor Banned Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Arlen, Texas Posts: 3,784	The Tour starts TONIGHT in St. Paul You can Stream tonight’s performance LIVE.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

12.06.2018, 06:29 PM	#30
The Soup Nazi invito al cielo Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Del Boca Vista Posts: 18,246	So far, Double Negative has been chosen album of the year by Uncut, musicOMH, Resident and Truck Music Store. It's also made #10 on The Wire, #18 on BBC Radio 6's, #9 on Deluxe/The Drift Record Shop, #10 on Exclaim!, #3 on Fopp, #8 on Gaffa (Denmark), #2 on Gaffa (Sweden), #2 on OOR, #9 on Paste, #8 on The Quietus, #8 on Stereogum, and #2 on Vulture. https://www.metacritic.com/feature/c...albums-of-2018 Now, since Anna Calvi's Hunter only features on a grand total of ONE of the lists listed (heh) above, none of this means jack. __________________ GADJI BERI BIMBA GLANDRIDI LAULI LONNI CADORI GADJAM A BIM BERI GLASSALA GLANDRIDI E GLASSALA TUFFM I ZIMBRA
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

12.14.2018, 11:11 AM	#31
Bytor Peltor Banned Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Arlen, Texas Posts: 3,784	#8 Slowcore pioneers Low first introduced electronics to their moody, minimal instrumental palette cautiously, on 2015’s Ones and Sixes; the change, partially brought about by working with producer BJ Burton, helped revitalize both their sound and creativity. On Double Negative (also recorded with Burton), those electronics become a key component, truly directing the album—warping vocals (opener “Quorum” feels like a constantly-interrupted transmission), incorporating rhythmic noise (“Dancing and Blood”), adding a glacial effect to guitars (“Poor Sucker”). It took the group nearly two years of trial and error to craft. This is all true, but it doesn’t capture what a terrifying, majestic, heavy gut-punch of an album Double Negative is, how emotionally affecting it is, how it feels like an ice cave one crawls into to find solace from worse weather and to escape potential predators. A stunning album, one that reveals new depths with every play. -Jes Skolnik
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

12.14.2018, 09:52 PM	#32
Severian invito al cielo Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 11,745	One of the best albums of the year.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

12.19.2018, 01:20 PM	#33
_tunic_ invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: I could live in eurHope Posts: 3,944	there's this old concert recording on YT, audio only. It's from 1998 in Belgium, don't think it's on Archive.org, and probably never will. So here it is: Low (US) Maybe they are not liking the humans. Live cd-r. 17th May 1998 (Remastered) __________________ what comes first, the music or the words?
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

12.19.2018, 02:01 PM	#34
_tunic_ invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: I could live in eurHope Posts: 3,944	in case there's anyone wanting to hear more of Low and don't know where to start? This might be of help: Celebrate the Catalog: The complete Low discography they rate every full-length Low album, the scores are all super high though. Not included HOW COULD THEY the best album for these time of year: the Christmas EP! __________________ what comes first, the music or the words?
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

12.20.2018, 04:30 AM	#37
_tunic_ invito al cielo Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: I could live in eurHope Posts: 3,944	Here's Low's touring schedule for the first 6 months of the next year, copied from their site. They'll be playing the beautiful open air theatre Rivierenhof on 4th of July, which is where I saw them for the very first time when they played the Things We Lost In The Fire album in full, in July 2006 05 Feb E-Werk Erlangen, Germany 06 Feb Kulturkirche Köln Cologne, Germany 07 Feb Sankt Peter Frankfurt, Germany 08 Feb Uebel & Gefährlich Hamburg, Germany 09 Feb VoxHall Aarhus, Denmark 11 Feb Koncerthuset København, Denmark 12 Feb Pustrvik Gothenburg, Sweden 13 Feb Parkteatret Scene Oslo, Norway 14 Feb Kagelbanan Stockholm, Sweden 15 Feb Antigel Festival Geneva, Switzerland 08 Mar Globe Hall Denver, CO 09 Mar Meow Wolf Santa Fe, NM 11 Mar Valley Bar Phoenix, AZ 12 Mar Marty's On Newport Tustin, CA 13 Mar Moustache Bar Tijuana, Mexico 14 Mar Lodge Room Los Angeles, CA 15 Mar Lodge Room Los Angeles, CA 16 Mar Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA 18 Mar Star Theater Portland Portland, OR 19 Mar Imperial Vancouver Vancouver, Canada 20 Mar Neumos Seattle, WA 22 Mar Treefort Music Fest Boise, ID 23 Mar Velour Live Music Gallery Llc Provo, UT 30 Mar Rewire Festival The Hague, Netherlands 01 Apr Le 106 Club Rouen, France 02 Apr STEREOLUX Nantes, France 03 Apr L'Epicerie Moderne Lyon, France 05 Apr Hall Padova, Italy 06 Apr Teatro Antoniano Bologna, Italy 08 Apr Auditorium Parco della Musica - Sala Sinopoli Rome, Italy 31 May PRIMAVERA SOUND Barcelona, Spain 04 Jul Openluchttheater Rivierenhof Deurne, Belgium 05 Jul Down The Rabbit Hole Ewijk, Netherlands __________________ what comes first, the music or the words?
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

12.22.2018, 03:48 AM	#39
Skuj invito al cielo Join Date: May 2009 Location: See My Top 10. Posts: 2,701	FUCK!!! I've spent the last 3 hours with this. It's epic and sparse at the same time. It's a thing of beauty. For years I've observed Low threads here, and how they grow and grow, while I thought "meh...whatever". But now I see the light. (Or is it the dark?) Bitches, review this album! (I will try to do the same when my thoughts are more coherent.) This video is fucking great, and the first 3 tracks work wonderfully together: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jvEozu4Obfs# PS: Fuck Trump. __________________ Fuckit.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

12.22.2018, 10:13 AM	#40
Diesel the destroyed room Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 597	Review: Sounds like Massive Attack with the volume turned up too loud.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|