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Low . A band from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993. Featuring Alan Sparhawk on vocals and guitar and Mimi Parker on vocals and drums and Matt Livingston on bass and vocals. Sparhawk and Parker are married with two children; they first met in fourth grade in rural Minnesota. Livingston, the latest addition to the band, replaced longtime bassist Zak Sally who previously replaced original bassist John Nichols.
Low released its first album, I Could Live in Hope, in 1994 (producer by Kramer ) on Vernon Yard Records. Pegged as "slowcore," due to the band's minimalist soundscapes and the beautiful harmonies of Sparhawk and Parker, which stood in stark contrast to the era's fascination with "grunge." Low continued to work with varied producers and released a constant stream of critically acclaimed albums (e.g., Long Division, The Curtain Hits the Cast, Things We Lost in the Fire), one-offs, collaborations and other miscellany, including a classic Christmas album, aptly titled Low Christmas. Throughout, Low toured the world and eventually found themselves in the company of acts such as The Dirty Three , Radiohead and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds .
Sparhawk has formed a few side projects, notably the dirty punk blues band, The Black Eyed Snakes and, most recently, the rock trio The Retribution Gospel Choir . In 2005 The Great Destroyer (produced by Dave Fridmann ), was released on Sub Pop Records — the Seattle indie label known for bringing Nirvana to the masses.
Released on March 20, 2007, Drums and Guns is the band’s eighth full-length album and second for Sub Pop. It’s also, after 2005’s The Great Destroyer , the second album they’ve recorded with producer Dave Fridmann. Drums and Guns features a number of songs that ardent Low fans will recognize from the band’s recent live shows. These songs appear here in substantially altered forms, as though they’ve been taken apart and reassembled in striking new ways. There’s no contrivance here, however. While these songs feature new elements (looped vocals, drum machines, etc.) and are thoroughly, radiantly contemporary, they remain undeniably Low’s. Drums and Guns possesses the unique, subtle beauty and power we’ve come to expect from Low, and the record is also a breathtaking step forward.
Track Listing for Drums and Guns :
1. Pretty People
2. Belarus
3. Breaker
4. Dragonfly
5. Sandinista
6. Always Fade
7. Dust on the Window
8. Hatchet
9. Your Poison
10. Take Your Time
11. In Silence
12. Murderer
13. Violent Past
