Preview: LOW at the Majestic 4.20.2011

Low just released a new album – C’mon. Recorded in a former Catholic church in Duluth MN, aka Sacred Heart Studio – where the band previously recorded 2002’s Trust), they took full advantage of the high, vaulted ceilings and natural reverb to create an album that conveys a sound close to their intense live sound.

This is another classic Low album – warm, introspective and intense – just the way I love it. “With the last couple of records, we were grappling with something outside of ourselves. This one feels more like, ‘Well, forget that. I’m looking in your eyes right now, and we need to figure out how to get through the next moment, together, as human beings’ … I didn’t want to furrow my brow too much making something ugly, just because I’m sometimes uncomfortable with things being too pretty,” Sparhawk says.

Stand-out tracks (for me) are “Witches,” “Especially Me” and “Nightingale” – I certainly hope and expect to hear them along with a lot more of this new material when Low arrives in Madison to play the Majestic Theater on Wednesday, April 20. Come out if you can. This band will move you.

Listen to “Especially Me” and decide for yourself:   mp3 – Especially Me

Here’s a cool video of Monkey from their fantastic 2005 release – The Great Destroyer. This is one of two songs that Robert Plant covered on his 2010 solo album Band of Joy. Plant has praised the band in periodicals from MOJO to Rolling Stone (RP in RS: “I’m not sure if the album would have worked without them”) but Sparhawk was simply flattered by their inclusion. “Having one of the best singers in the world sing your songs is okay by me,” he demurs… No big deal.