Lots of Love for Low

By Jason Hunter

nother of my favorite "L" artists is Duluth, MN's Low. Low was yet another band I learned about during my tenure as a college radio DJ. Low plays gorgeous minimalistic music very, very, slow . What captivated me about their sound was–yes, it's slow–but it is also intense, personal, and haunting. That goes for the slow unfurling chord changes and the long sustained harmonies, the latter being the centerpiece of their sound. From 1996's The Curtain Hits the Cast through 2001's Things We Lost in the Fire, Low could do no wrong in my mind. Each LP or vinyl single shifted their sound into new and exciting directions. There music was a favorite of my mine as I walked through Blacksburg's campus in the dark evenings or on snowy days. I eagerly hunted down as many releases as I could find. During this period I made every effort to see them live. To-and-back drives from Virgina Tech for shows at Charlottesville's Tokyo Rose or braving snowy roads to DC's Black Cat, it did not matter. It was always a joy to see them perform live. One of the most amazing things is a crowd of Low fans. They are quiet, patient, and glad to be there for the experience (a rare trinity at most shows). Most people would recognize their cover of "Litter Drummer Boy" from a 2001 Gap Christmas ad. The distortion in that song was a novelty (at the time) for them, and in my opinion not their best work. "Below & Above", "Shame", "Swing'n", "Caroline", [from Long Division]; "Over the Ocean", "The Plan", "Stars Gone Out", "Do You Know How to Waltz" [The Curtain Hits the Cast]; and hell, anything from Secret Name and Things We Lost in the Fire.

It's hard to come by Low songs streaming on the 'net but YouTube has a nice collection of Low songs/videos, including one of the best from Secret Name, "Sunflower".