Low | The Guardian (original) (raw)
September 2024
Alan Sparhawk: White Roses, My God review – Low musician’s defiant act of creation
After the death of his wife and bandmate, the US guitarist and vocalist turns his anguish – and his voice – into something unexpectedly playful
July 2024
Low’s Alan Sparhawk on the death of his wife and bandmate Mimi Parker: ‘If you fall in love, you know this could happen’
Sparhawk spent four decades with Parker, three of them as the core of alt-rock legends Low, before she died from cancer aged 55. He discusses finding his new, digitally-altered voice amid grief – and why he’s channelling Cher
November 2023
Alan Sparhawk review – beautiful, obliterating hymns to Low’s Mimi Parker
Sparhawk’s solo debut starts with a jazzy red herring that gives way to a set list of brand new songs which mine the depths of grief for his late wife and bandmate
August 2023
‘Our music didn’t build. We were anti-catharsis’: the glacial pleasures of slowcore
Long after their 90s heyday, bands such as Codeine and Duster are finding new audiences in thrall to their slow, sad vision of guitar music. Veterans explain the scene’s angst and idealism
December 2022
Ranked
The 20 greatest Christmas albums – ranked!
Santa Claus is coming to frown! Why the best Christmas songs are sad and slow
November 2022
Mimi Parker obituary
‘She was so casual about her genius’: musicians on Low’s Mimi Parker
Low’s Mimi Parker was a voice of hope and healing in indie rock
Stevie Chick
Low drummer and vocalist Mimi Parker dies aged 55
August 2022
‘A gambler’s wet dream and an accountant’s worst nightmare!’: the huge allure of the micro-festival
Amid a bloated festival market, the founders of the UK’s tiniest weekenders explain why they are keeping things intimate and defiantly non-commercial
April 2022
Low review – human warmth fills music of social collapse
Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker unleash a charged cacophony on the reverent crowd but the couple’s connection provides an underlying sweetness
December 2021
Best music of 2021
The 50 best albums of 2021
And finally – a deserving winner, whose second solo album is a truly relatable, pin-sharp pop classic. We reveal our No 1 album of 2021
October 2021
The month's best album reviews
Lil Nas X, Lindsey Buckingham and Low: October’s best album reviews
Discover all our four- and five-star album reviews from the last month, from pop to jazz and classical
September 2021
Alexis Petridis's album of the week
Low: Hey What review – a magnificent redefinition of rock music
The veteran group continue the scorched digital manipulations of 2018 masterpiece Double Negative, but their vocals are left pristine and beautiful
November 2020
10 of the best Christmas songs (that aren’t by Mariah Carey)
The classics are back in the charts even earlier than usual – alongside the perennial row about the Pogues. So why not discover these lesser-known festive bangers?
December 2019
Ranked
The 50 greatest Christmas songs – ranked!
From John Fahey, the Sonics and the Waitresses to Slade, Wizzard and Mariah Carey, we count down the best festive numbers
January 2019
Beirut, Michael Kiwanuka, Spiritualized and Metronomy to headline End of the Road festival
Courtney Barnett and Jarvis Cocker also join lineup for eclectic West Country summer gathering
Low review – a hotline to paranoia, discomfort and sorrow
The Minnesotan trio blend their recent electronic experimentation into their brutally beautiful aesthetic, offsetting despair with sweetness
2019 arts preview
Pop, punk and protest songs: the hottest music on the horizon in 2019
With the uproarious Idles hitting the road, Kamasi Washington play a mind-expanding UK show, and new albums from the Specials, Weezer and AJ Tracey, here are the sounds the new year will be shaking to