Low

September 12 - 19, 1 9 9 6 [Off the Record]

*** Low

THE CURTAIN HITS THE CAST

(Vernon Yard)
Led by the husband-and-wife team of Alan Sparhawk (guitar/keyboards) and Mimi Parker (percussion), this Minnesota-based trio have always excelled at stirring melancholy emotions without stirring up much noise. But The Curtain Hits the Cast stands as the most convincing test yet of Low's endurance and restraint. It's a 65-minutes-plus tour de force of tranquil, tastefully subdued, skeletal pop. Think of it as the sonic antithesis of Soundgarden's mega-rock epic Superunknown. Low may draw their emotional power from the same depressive black-hole sun that electrifies Chris Cornell, but the in-your-face assault of Soundgarden's wailing vocals, screaming guitars, and forceful rhythms is reduced by Sparhawk, Parker, and bassist Zak Sally to a soft, sonorous caress of whispered melodies, spare minor chords, and the faint rustle of brushes on a snare drum. The result can be maddeningly subtle and abstract -- this is the kind of sleepy mood music that demands a certain ennui from the listener. With patience, though, you may be surprised to discover how disquieting and resonant the quiet can be.
-- Matt Ashare
(Low join the Godrays this Saturday, September 14, at the Middle East.)