[rhythmdevils]

I think The Great Destroyer is my favorite album right now. Ive also got Secret Name, which is great, but doesnt grab me nearly as much. Not necessarily because destroyer is faster, that is part of it. but destroyer has something else...i cant listen to it loud enough, and its got to be speakers for the full impact. i feel like the guy in the maxell comercial, sitting on the coucch with the soundwaves blasting me back into my seat.

so i want more! which one should i get?

 

[duchamp]

"Things We Lost in the Fire" is my favorite. Maybe try this one next?

 

[Davey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by duchamp "Things We Lost in the Fire" is my favorite. Maybe try this one next?

Yeah, my favorites are the two recorded by Albini, Secret Name and Things We Lost in the Fire, but the latter is my overall favorite. Very nice sound with tons of atmosphere and dynamics, especially on the all analog vinyl releases. But I don't have that latest one with the Fridmann production. Don't imagine the sound is too good based on all his other projects like Mercury Rev and Flaming Lips and Wheat and S-K and the rest since he loves that compression, but still love most of the music. I mentioned to DLeeWebb awhile back about the EP they did with Dirty Three that is very good too. http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showt...2d#post1758622

They also did a Christmas album back in 1999, I think. Great stuff. Their version of Little Drummer Boy was later used in a Gap ad. Couple originals too that sound almost like Christmas standards.

 

[rhythmdevils]

i guess i'll just have to get all of them, eh?

 

[AdamWill]

If you liked Great Destroyer more than Secret Name, you should probably go with Trust next. I split up Low albums like this:

Great Destroyer / Trust

Things We Lost In The Fire / Secret Name / Songs For A Dead Pilot / Christmas (and contemporaneous b-sides)

Everything Else

There's a clear shift between their early stuff and the stuff from Dead Pilot to Fire - more variety in songwriting and tempo - and another clear shift from Fire to Trust and Great Destroyer, where they clearly moved in a louder, brasher direction. I didn't really like either Trust or Great Destroyer much at first and found myself leaning for Fire and Secret Name when I wanted to listen to Low, but lately I'm actually favouring the more recent albums more and more. I also find they're pretty well recorded - Low are fairly obsessive gearheads, which probably counters any happy-clappy compression tendencies on the part of Albini.

 

[Davey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamWill Low are fairly obsessive gearheads, which probably counters any happy-clappy compression tendencies on the part of Albini.

Huh? Albini is one of the good guys. His are some of the most dynamic rock recordings of the modern era. Usually it's just the opposite, the artist or label screws up his recordings by adding a bunch of compression after the fact. Check out the Ahead of the Lions CD by The Living Things from last year that he recorded but it's released on Sony so they maximized it like all their other crappy sounding pop/rock releases. Still sounds halfway decent because of the nice recording underneath, but all the dynamics are cut off. On the ones he's able to see through and hand off to a good mastering engineer, like Low's Secret Name and Fire, and Nina Nastasia's, and Electrelane's, and Valina and his own Shellac, and all the others we talked about in the recent Albini appreciation thread, the sound is great. Dave Fridmann recorded the latest Low album and he generally uses tons of compression on everything he works on. Love the production and most of the artists he's associated with, but hate the compression. That's what I mentioned. But I haven't heard it so they may have been able to keep him in check

 

[rhythmdevils]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davey Huh? Albini is one of the good guys. His are some of the most dynamic rock recordings of the modern era. Usually it's just the opposite, the artist or label screws up his recordings by adding a bunch of compression after the fact. Check out the Ahead of the Lions CD by The Living Things from last year that he recorded but it's released on Sony so they maximized it like all their other crappy sounding pop/rock releases. Still sounds halfway decent because of the nice recording underneath, but all the dynamics are cut off. On the ones he's able to see through and hand off to a good mastering engineer, like Low's Secret Name and Fire, and Nina Nastasia's, and Electrelane's, and Valina and his own Shellac, and all the others we talked about in the recent Albini appreciation thread, the sound is great. Dave Fridmann recorded the latest Low album and he generally uses tons of compression on everything he works on. Love the production and most of the artists he's associated with, but hate the compression. That's what I mentioned. But I haven't heard it so they may have been able to keep him in check

did he work on The Great Destroyer? The quality of the recording is audibly there, the seperation and dynamic punch. But there is something about it that sounds grainy, like an old rolling stones album. Maybe this is what you are talking about- there being well recorded material underneath, but the compression axing it in half. or trying to at least

 

[AdamWill]

davey: sorry, I meant Fridmann, apologies for the brain fart. I will leave the original post intact to preserve my stupidity for the ages and make sure your post continues to make sense

devils: I think that's just how the band wanted the album to sound. If you've been to a live show of theirs lately they seem to be intentionally aiming for a more raw, gritty, rock-type sound.

 

[DLeeWebb]

I really like "In The Fishtank 7" which Davey refers to above. Their collaboration with Dirty Three is a match made in heaven. The version of Neil Young's "Down By The River" on this disc needs to be heard by any Low fan. I haven't heard a couple of the discs mentioned above, but they just went on my wishlist. I really like "Long Division." You can really hear where "The Great Destroyer" [...which I absolutely love!] came from. There are some good songs on "The Curtain Hits The Cast," but overall I was disappointed with that effort.

 

[AdamWill]

Good call on In The Fishtank - it's more in the Secret Name / Fire style than the Trust / Great Destroyer style, but it's a fantastic record, and when I have just less than a full album's worth of time to listen to something, I turn to it more often than anything else

 

[Ebonyks]

"things we lost in the fire" is the next logical low album to persue. It's not the same upfront, aggressive rock sound of the great destroyer, more akin to the slower other work of theirs you have. However, it's their most focused single effort, and the first half flows by like an angel's song. It's not the bogged down totally slowcore sound either.

 

[rhythmdevils]

just got things we lost in the fire.

and trust is in the mail.

I'll let you all know how i like them. so far, i havent gotten past the first few tracks in things we lost... wasnt in the right mood. so far it seems much darker than their previous albums.

 

[rhythmdevils]

so at this point, the great destroyer is still probably my favorite. But Things We Lost in The Fire is coming up close behind. then Trust, then Secret Name. Dont be mistaken though, these are also great albums, i just dont like them as much

I saw them live last night, with Damien Jurado

What an incredible show! noone moved a muscle the entire show, both acts. Damien was pretty good, but Low was definitely the highlite.

The first thing that struck me was how much these THREE (!) musicians were doing with so little. On the albums, i thought they were overlaying tracks to get that much sound. But it is pretty much all there in the live setting. The bassist was incredible. Really unique way off pushing the beat and alternating the rhythm. Lead singer of course has an incredible voice, and he puts so much of himself into it. The drummer was also great, she stood up the whole time, which ive never seen before, and kept herself withing certain limits, using brushes most of the time. she had a really simple way of adding intensity to the music.

But beyond the music, was the incredible power of the honesty they presented on stage. They weren't trying to be anything. They were just opening up, completely, letting it all out at us, in a way i dont thing i have ever seen before. sure, ive seen shows that i'd say were technically better, but as far as emotional impact, this show was one of the best. It felt like a healing experience. I walked out feeling calm, collected, peaceful, and with presiding and very general "goodness".

If anyone has a chance to see these guys live, dont pass it up.

 

[stuckie27]

Get 'Trust' This in my opinion is their best output yet, its very minimal and extremely powerful. It can be played in the backround, and also played in the headphones. I really want to listen to it now~

 

[quoteunquote]

i love the christmas ep. beautiful for all times of the year.