Hot on the heels of the release of their critically acclaimed album, Double Negative, Low have shared a new video for their song “Always Trying to Work It Out.” The visual was co-directed by longtime friend and video collaborator Phil Harder. The band’s Alan Sparhawk had this to say about the video, “We present our slightly Halloween-themed video for ‘Always Trying to Work It Out.’ In which… friends and family star in a stroll through the grocery store; familiar fragments from memory appear; masks are filtering light. Thank you National Sawdust, light tech Shane Donohue, and the Food Co-op in Duluth. It’s dedicated to our city of Duluth.”
Low’s North American 2018/19 international headlining tour in support of Double Negative resumes November 2nd in St. Paul at The Fitzgerald Theatre, and runs through November 17th in Madison at High Noon Saloon, with 2019 dates to follow.
2018 Tour Dates Nov. 02 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitzgerald Theatre Nov. 05 - Detroit, MI - El Club Nov. 06 - Toronto, ON - Great Hall Nov. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa Nov. 09 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Nov. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts Nov. 12 - Washington, DCU Street Music Hall Nov. 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Funhouse Nov. 14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop Nov. 15 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme Nov. 16 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Chapel Nov. 17 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
2019 Tour Dates Jan. 29 - Glasgow, UK - Tramway Jan. 30 - Birmingham, UK - Birmingham Town Hall Jan. 31 - Brighton, UK - St. George’s Church Brighton Feb. 01 - London, UK - Barbican Feb. 02 - Kortrijk, BE - De Kreun Feb. 04 - Groningen, NL - Vera Feb. 05 - Erlangen, DE - E-Werk (Erlangen) Feb. 06 - Cologne, DE - Kulturkirche Köln Feb. 07 - Frankfurt, DE - Sankt Peter Feb. 08 - Hamburg, DE - Uebel & Gefährlich Feb. 09 - Aarhus, DK - Voxhall Feb. 11 - København, DK - The Koncerthuset - Studie 2 Feb. 12 - Gothenburg, SE - Pustervik Feb. 13 - Oslo - Norway - Parkteatretjo Feb. 14 - Stockholm, SE - Kagelbanan (Small Room) Mar. 08 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall Mar. 09 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf Mar. 11 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar Mar. 12 - Tustin, CA - Marty’s On Newport Mar. 13 - Tijuana, MX - Moustache Mar. 15 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Mar. 16 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall Mar. 18 - Portland, OR - Star Theater Mar. 19 - Vancouver, BC - Imperial Mar. 20 - Seattle, WA - Neumos Mar. 23 - Provo, UT - Velour Live Music Gallery
“…It is extraordinary that Low is doing such challenging, relevant work 25 years into their career.” [Best New Music, 8.7/10] - Pitchfork
Low’s international tour schedule for 2018/2019 resumes tomorrow October 5th in Milan, Italy. See dates below.
Following the release of their critically acclaimed new album, Double Negative, Low’s Alan Sparhawk gets a makeover in the official video for “Poor Sucker,” directed by Karlos Rene Ayala.
Double Negative is available worldwide now on CD/LP/DL/CS from Sub Pop [link here]. The album cover for Double Negative was created by longtime collaborator, English artist, Peter Liversidge.
Low’s international tour dates resume tomorrow, October 5th, 2018 with a show at Teatro Dal Verme in Milan, Italy and currently end March 23rd, 2019 at Velour Live Music Gallery in Provo, UT.
2018 Tour Dates Oct. 05 - Milan, IT - Teatro Dal Verme Oct. 06 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Oct. 08 - Leipzig, DE - UT Connewitz Oct. 09 - Berlin, DE - Festsaal Kreuzberg Oct. 10- Bochum, DE - Christuskirche Bochum Oct. 11 - Brussels, BE - Orangerie (at Botanique) Oct. 12 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Oct. 13 - Paris, FR - La Gaîté Lyrique Oct. 15 - Bristol, UK - Trinity Oct. 16 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Cathedral Oct. 17 - Dublin, IE - Vicar Street Nov. 02 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitz Nov. 05 - Detroit, MI - El Club Nov. 06 - Toronto, ON - Great Hall Nov. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa Nov. 09 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Nov. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts Nov. 12 - Washington, DCU Street Music Hall Nov. 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Funhouse Nov. 14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop Nov. 15 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme Nov. 16 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Chapel Nov. 17 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
2019 Tour Dates Jan. 29 - Glasgow, UK - Tramway Jan. 30 - Birmingham, UK - Birmingham Town Hall Jan. 31 - Brighton, UK - St. George’s Church Brighton Feb. 01 - London, UK - Barbican Feb. 02 - Kortrijk, BE - De Kreun Feb. 04 - Groningen, NL - Vera Feb. 05 - Erlangen, DE - E-Werk (Erlangen) Feb. 06 - Cologne, DE - Kulturkirche Köln Feb. 07 - Frankfurt, DE - Sankt Peter Feb. 08 - Hamburg, DE - Uebel & Gefährlich Feb. 09 - Aarhus, DK - Voxhall Feb. 11 - København, DK - The Koncerthuset - Studie 2 Feb. 12 - Gothenburg, SE - Pustervik Feb. 13 - Oslo - Norway - Parkteatret Feb. 14 - Stockholm, SE - Kagelbanan (Small Room) Mar. 08 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall Mar. 09 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf Mar. 11 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar Mar. 12 - Tustin, CA - Marty’s On Newport Mar. 13 - Tijuana, MX - Moustache Mar. 15 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Mar. 16 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall Mar. 18 - Portland, OR - Star Theater Mar. 19 - Vancouver, BC - Imperial Mar. 20 - Seattle, WA - Neumos Mar. 23 - Provo, UT - Velour Live Music Gallery
The band’s international tour schedule in support of Double Negative has been extended with new, headlining North American dates for 2019.
Lowhave shared a new video for “Rome (Always in the Dark)” which was directed by Aaron Anderson and Eric Timothy Carlson. The collage-like video accentuates the intense nature of the track, an insistent march forcing its way through the din of the album with a damn-the-torpedoes tenacity. “Let’s turn this thing up before they take us out…”
Low’s Double Negativewill be available on CD/LP/DL/CS worldwide this Friday, September 14th through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers. The album cover for Double Negative was created by longtime collaborator, English artist, Peter Liversidge.
Low’s international tour schedule for 2018/19, which begins with a three-night stand September 19th-21st, 2018 at National Sawdust in New York City, has been extended through March 23rd, 2019, ending with a show at Velour Live Music Gallery in Provo, Utah. The new, 10-date extension includes stops in Denver, Santa Fe, Phoenix, Tijuana, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle.
2018 Tour Dates Sep. 19 - New York, NY - National Sawdust Sep. 20 - New York, NY - National Sawdust Sep. 21 - New York, NY - National Sawdust Sep. 29 - Lisbon, PT - Lisboa ao Vivo Oct. 01 - De Compostela Santiago, ES - Sala Capitol Oct. 02 - Madrid, ES - Sala But Oct. 03 - Barcelona, ES - Fabra i Coats Oct. 05 - Milan, IT - Teatro Dal Verme Oct. 06 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Oct. 08 - Leipzig, DE - UT Connewitz Oct. 09 - Berlin, DE - Festsaal Kreuzberg Oct. 10 - Bochum, DE - Christuskirche Bochum Oct. 11 - Brussels, BE - Orangerie (at Botanique) Oct. 12 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Oct. 13 - Paris, FR - La Gaîté Lyrique Oct. 15 - Bristol, UK - Trinity Oct. 16 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Cathedral Oct. 17 - Dublin, IE - Vicar Street Nov. 02 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitz Nov. 05 - Detroit, MI - El Club Nov. 06 - Toronto, ON - Great Hall Nov. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa Nov. 09 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Nov. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts Nov. 12 - Washington, DC U Street Music Hall Nov. 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Funhouse Nov. 14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop Nov. 15 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme Nov. 16 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Chapel Nov. 17 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
2019 Tour Dates Jan. 29 - Glasgow, UK - Tramway Jan. 30 - Birmingham, UK - Birmingham Town Hall Jan. 31 - Brighton, UK - St. George’s Church Brighton Feb. 01 - London, UK - Barbican Feb. 02 - Kortrijk, BE - De Kreun Feb. 04 - Groningen, NL - Vera Feb. 05 - Erlangen, DE - E-Werk (Erlangen) Feb. 06 - Cologne, DE - Kulturkirche Köln Feb. 07 - Frankfurt, DE - Sankt Peter Feb. 08 - Hamburg, DE - Uebel & Gefährlich Feb. 09 - Aarhus, DK - Voxhall Feb. 11 - København, DK - The Koncerthuset - Studie 2 Feb. 12 - Gothenburg, SE - Pustervik Feb. 13 - Oslo - Norway - Parkteatret Feb. 14 - Stockholm, SE - Kagelbanan (Small Room) Mar. 08 - Denver, CO - Globe Hall Mar. 09 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf Mar. 11 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar Mar. 12 - Tustin, CA - Marty’s On Newport Mar. 13 - Tijuana, MX - Moustache Mar. 15 - Los Angeles, CA - Lodge Room Mar. 16 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall Mar. 18 - Portland, OR - Star Theater Mar. 19 - Vancouver, BC - Imperial Mar. 20 - Seattle, WA - Neumos Mar. 23 - Provo, UT - Velour Live Music Gallery
Stream Double Negative in its entirety via NPR Music’s “First Listen” September 6th-14th.
[Photo credit: Paul Husband]
Low have extended their international tour schedule in support of Double Negativewith the announcement of new U.K. and European dates for 2019. The newly added dates begin January 29th, 2019 in Glasgow at Tramway and run through February 14th in Stockholm in Kagelbanan (Small Room). The 15-date U.K. and European run will include stops in Brighton, London, Hamburg, Oslo, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Gothenburg. These dates follow Low’s previously announced 2018 North American, U.K. and European tour schedule, which begins with a three-night stand at National Sawdust in New York City on September 19th-21st and ends November 17th in Madison at the High Noon Saloon. (full listing is below.)
And starting today, September 6th, NPR Music’s “First Listen” is now streaming Double Negative in its entirety right over here.
NPR Music’s Stephen Thompson offers this on the band’s new album, ”For a band so often defined by apparent strictures on its sound, Low has proven incredibly versatile. Throughout a catalog that spans 12 studio albums, another dozen or so EPs, a Christmas record that’s justly become a classic, and countless one-offs, it’s upended its formulas constantly while still sounding unmistakably like itself. On the new Double Negative, those patterns hold true amid Low’s most radical reinvention yet…Low throws itself into what often sounds like an inversion of its classic sound. “Quorum” opensDouble Negative with static-scarred loops that curdle and crunch menacingly, setting a fresh scene with maximum efficiency: This is the sound of beauty as it’s distorted to the point of disintegration [listen here].”
[Album Cover Image by Peter Liversidge]
Pre-orders of Double Negative through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser Edition on crystal clear vinyl with an enclosed full-color flat of the album’s front cover artwork (while supplies last).
2018 Tour Dates Sep. 19 - New York, NY - National Sawdust Sep. 20 - New York, NY - National Sawdust Sep. 21 - New York, NY - National Sawdust Sep. 29 - Lisbon, PT - Lisboa ao Vivo Oct. 01 - De Compostela Santiago, ES - Sala Capitol Oct. 02 - Madrid, ES - Sala But Oct. 03 - Barcelona, ES - Fabra i Coats Oct. 05 - Milan, IT - Teatro Dal Verme Oct. 06 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Oct. 08 - Leipzig, DE - UT Connewitz Oct. 09 - Berlin, DE - Festsaal Kreuzberg Oct. 10- Bochum, DE - Christuskirche Bochum Oct. 11 - Brussels, BE - Orangerie (at Botanique) Oct. 12 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Oct. 13 - Paris, FR - La Gaîté Lyrique Oct. 15 - Bristol, UK - Trinity Oct. 16 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Cathedral Oct. 17 - Dublin, IE - Vicar Street Nov. 02 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitz Nov. 05 - Detroit, MI - El Club Nov. 06 - Toronto, ON - Great Hall Nov. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa Nov. 09 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Nov. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts Nov. 12 - Washington, DCU Street Music Hall Nov. 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Funhouse Nov. 14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop Nov. 15 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme Nov. 16 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Chapel Nov. 17 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
2019 Tour Dates Jan. 29 - Glasgow, UK - Tramway Jan. 30 - Birmingham, UK - Birmingham Town Hall Jan. 31 - Brighton, UK - St. George’s Church Brighton Feb. 01 - London, UK - Barbican Feb. 02 - Kortrijk, BE - De Kreun Feb. 04 - Groningen, NL - Vera Feb. 05 - Erlangen, DE - E-Werk (Erlangen) Feb. 06 - Cologne, DE - Kulturkirche Köln Feb. 07 - Frankfurt, DE - Sankt Peter Feb. 08 - Hamburg, DE - Uebel & Gefährlich Feb. 09 - Aarhus, DK - Voxhall Feb. 11 - København, DK - The Koncerthuset - Studie 2 Feb. 12 - Gothenburg, SE - Pustervik Feb. 13 - Oslo - Norway - Parkteatret Feb. 14 - Stockholm, SE - Kagelbanan (Small Room)
On September 14th, Low will release Double Negative, their acclaimed new album. Today the band are offering a new preview via the album’s closing cut, “Disarray.”
Double Negative will
be out worldwide on Sept 14th, 2018 and the world tour in support of
the new album begins with a three-night stand September 19th-21st at
National Sawdust in New York City.
Uncut, in its album of the month review (9/10), offers this of Double Negative: “Low have never made a record quite so jarring and jagged, but Double Negative pushes
beyond their own catalogue. Low have made what might be their most
relevant album, one that holds a mirror up to the world.”
As previously mentioned, Low will embark on a world tour in support of
their new album, with a three-night stand at National Sawdust in New
York City on September 19th-21st with a European run following on Sep.
29th in Lisbon. These dates will find the band performing in Madrid,
Milan, Zurich, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, and Brussels, before returning
to the states on November 2nd, to kick off a 12-date North American run
starting in their home state of Minnesota. See below for a full list of
tour dates, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.
Tour Dates:
Sep. 19 - New York, NY - National Sawdust
Sep. 20 - New York, NY - National Sawdust
Sep. 21 - New York, NY - National Sawdust
Sep. 29 - Lisbon, PT - Lisboa ao Vivo
Oct. 01 - De Compostela Santiago, ES - Sala Capitol
Oct. 02 - Madrid, ES - Sala But
Oct. 03 - Barcelona, ES- Fabra i Coats
Oct. 05 - Milan, IT - Teatro Dal Verme
Oct. 06 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F
Oct. 08 - Leipzig, DE- Conne Island
Oct.0 9 - Berlin, DE - Festsaal Kreuzberg
Oct. 10- Bochum, DE - Christuskirche Bochum
Oct. 11 - Brussels, BE - Orangerie (at Botanique)
Oct. 12 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
Oct. 13 - Paris, FR - La Gaîté Lyrique
Oct. 15 - Bristol, UK - Trinity
Oct. 16 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Cathedral
Oct. 17 - Dublin, IE - Vicar Street
Nov. 02 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitz
Nov. 05 - Detroit, MI - El Club
Nov. 06 - Toronto, ON - Great Hall
Nov. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa
Nov. 09 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
Nov. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
Nov. 12 - Washington, DCU Street Music Hall
Nov. 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Funhouse
Nov. 14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
Nov. 16 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Chapel
Nov. 17 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Pre-orders of the Double Negative LP through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will
receive the limited Loser Edition on crystal clear vinyl with an
enclosed full-color flat of the album’s front cover artwork.
On September 14th, in the faithfully defiant fashion of their 25-year career, Low will release Double Negative, its most brazen, abrasive (and, paradoxically, most empowering) album. As a prelude to the full-length album, Low presents a triptych video for the opening songs of the album. Each video can also be watched independently:
Directed by Mark Pellington - Edited by Jen Kennedy
To make Double Negative, Low reenlisted B.J. Burton, the adventurous producer who in recent years has made records with Bon Iver, Lizzo, and Francis and the Lights. Returning once again to Justin Vernon’s April Base studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin (where they recorded 2015’s Ones and Sixes) Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker, and bassist Steve Garrington knew they wanted to go further with Burton and his palette of sounds: they wanted to see what someone who is, as Sparhawk puts it, “a hip-hop guy” could truly do with their music. Rather than obsessively write and rehearse at home in Duluth, Minnesota, they would often head southeast to Eau Claire, arriving with sketches and ideas that they would work on for days with Burton. Band and producer became collaborative co-writers, building the pieces up and breaking them down until their purpose and force felt clear.
Following summer shows in the UK, Germany, and Poland, the band will embark on a first leg of touring in support of the new album with a two-night stand at National Sawdust in New York City. See below for a full list of tour dates, with more to be announced in the coming weeks.
Tour Dates: Jun. 19 - Leeds, United Kingdom - Brudenell Social Jun. 20 - London, United Kingdom - Queen Elizabeth Hall (Robert Smith’s Meltdown Festival) Jun. 23 - Duisburg, Germany - Traumzeit festival Jun. 25 - Munich, Germany - Ampere Jun. 26 - Dresden, Germany - Beatpol Jun. 29 - Bialystok, Poland - Amphitheater of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic (Halfway Music Festival!) Sep. 20 - New York, NY - National Sawdust Sep. 21 - New York, NY - National Sawdust Sep. 29 - Lisbon, Portugal - Lisboa ao Vivo Oct. 1 - De Compostela Santiago, Spain - Sala Capitol Oct. 2 - Madrid, Spain - Sala But Oct. 3 - Barcelona, Spain - Fabra i Coats Oct. 5 - Milan, Italy - Teatro Dal Verme Oct. 6 - Zurich, Switzererland - Bogen F Oct. 8 - Leipzig, Germany - Conne Island Oct. 9 - Berlin, Germany - Festsaal Kreuzberg Oct. 11 - Brussels, Belgium - Orangerie (at Botanique) Oct. 12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Oct. 13 - Paris, France - La Gaîté Lyrique Oct. 15 - Bristol, UK - Trinity Oct. 16 - Manchester, UK - Manchester Cathedral Oct. 17 - Manchester Cathedral - Vicar Street Nov. 02 - St. Paul, MN - The Fitz Nov. 03 - Davenport, IA - Daytrotter Nov. 05 - Detroit, MI - El Club Nov. 06 - Toronto, ON - Great Hall Nov. 08 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rosa Nov. 09 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall Nov. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts Nov. 12 - Washington, DC U Street Music Hall Nov. 13 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Funhouse Nov. 14 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop Nov. 16 - Chicago, IL - Rockefeller Chapel Nov. 17 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Pre-orders of Double Negative through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser Edition on crystal clear vinyl with an enclosed full-color flat of album artwork. The album cover for Double Negative was created by longtime collaborator, English artist, Peter Liversidge.
Double Negative Tracklisting: 1. Quorum 2. Dancing and Blood 3. Fly 4. Tempest 5. Always Up 6. Always Trying to Work It Out 7. The Son, The Sun 8. Dancing and Fire 9. Poor Sucker 10. Rome (Always in the Dark) 11. Disarray
[Photo Credit: Shelly Mosman]
More on Low’s Double Negative by Grayson Currin: In 2018, the band Low will turn twenty-five. Since 1993, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker—the married couple whose heaven-and-earth harmonies have always held the band’s center—have pioneered a subgenre, shrugged off its strictures, recorded a Christmas classic, become a magnetic onstage force, and emerged as one of music’s most steadfast and vital vehicles for pulling light from our darkest emotional recesses. But Low will not commemorate its first quarter-century with mawkish nostalgia or safe runs through songbook favorites. Instead, in faithfully defiant fashion, Low will release its most brazen, abrasive (and, paradoxically, most empowering) album ever: Double Negative, an unflinching eleven-song quest through snarling static and shattering beats that somehow culminates in the brightest pop song of Low’s career.
To make Double Negative, Low reenlisted B.J. Burton, the quietly energetic and adventurous producer who has made records with James Blake, Sylvan Esso, and The Tallest Man on Earth in recent years while working as one of the go-to figures at Bon Iver’s home studio, April Base. Burton recorded Low’s last album, 2015’s Ones and Sixes, at April Base, adding might to many of its beats and squelch and frisson beneath many of its melodies.
This time, though, Sparhawk, Parker, and bassist Steve Garrington knew they wanted to go further with Burton and his palette of sounds, to see what someone who is, as Sparhawk puts it, “a hip-hop guy” could truly do to their music. Rather than obsessively write and rehearse at home in Duluth, Minnesota, they would often head southeast to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, arriving with sketches and ideas that they would work on for days with Burton. Band and producer became collaborative cowriters, building the pieces up and breaking them down and building them again until their purpose and force felt clear. As the world outside seemed to slide deeper into instability, Low repeated this process for the better part of two years, pondering the results during tours and breaks at home. They considered not only how the fragments fit together but also how, in the United States of 2018, they functioned as statements and salves.
Double Negative is, indeed, a record perfectly and painfully suited for our time. Loud and contentious and commanding, Low fights for the world by fighting against it. It begins in pure bedlam, with a beat built from a loop of ruptured noise waging war against the paired voices of Sparhawk and Parker the moment they begin to sing during the massive “Quorum.” For forty minutes, they indulge the battle, trying to be heard amid the noisy grain, sometimes winning and sometimes being tossed toward oblivion.
During the immersive “Dancing and Blood,” Parker slowly comes into focus, as if singing from the wind-ripped mouth of a cave. Parker appears to beat back disaster for “Fly,” her soulful vocals curving into and above Garrington’s bold bassline as Sparhawk’s own signal cuts in and out. Elsewhere, though, songs like “Always Trying to Work It Out” and “Tempest” threaten to swallow the pair whole, their overwhelming quakes of dissonance aiming to silence them once and for all. Sometimes, Sparhawk and Parker are stuck in the Sisyphean middle, capable of neither failing nor forging ahead. During the brilliantly conceived “Poor Sucker,” written in large part by Garrington, their voices suggest skiffs stuck on some turbulent sea, falling beneath and rising above the cacophony with seasick irregularity. In this frustrated song of self-defeat, Low lists all the ways they could have made their lives matter. It is a eulogy of could-have-beens for a time that won’t really let you be.
As “Rome (Always in the Dark),” a march that forces its way through the din with damn-the-torpedoes tenacity, fades toward a rare silence, a pulse sculpted from a shard of noise emerges, flashing from a distance like the safety of a life raft. It rises into a steady thump, with Sparhawk and Parker floating above it in crystalline unison: “Before it falls into total disarray/You’ll have to learn to live a different way,” they sing, their melody forming a tightrope of despair and delight. In some ways, it’s a warning of the bad times to come. But it’s also a promise that we’re more powerful and adaptable than madness itself, that we have the ability to persevere. During the song’s back half, Sparhawk and Parker don’t say anything. They instead lock into august harmony and glide between notes, Parker’s purely ascendant tone pulling Sparhawk’s falsetto skyward. It is an exquisite and triumphant moment, an exhalation after all the damage and din.
In spite of the mounting noise, Sparhawk and Parker still sing. Or maybe they sing because of the noise. For Low, has there ever really been a difference?
