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Low
On Tour172,459 listeners (3,928,455 plays)
slowcore, indie, post-rock, indie rock, alternative… see all
Duluth, Minnesota (1993 – present)
Low is an american indie rock group from duluth, minnesota. The group was formed in 1993, by Alan Sparhawk (guitar and vocals), Mimi Parker (drums and vocals) and original bassist John Nichols (bass guitar). Zak Sally replaced Nichols after Low’s first album and tour. In 2005, Sally quit the band; Matt Livingston replaced him shortly thereafter. In 2008 Steve Garrington took over on bass creating the current lineup of Sparhawk, Parker and Garrington.
Their music is commonly described as “slowcore,” a subgenre characterised by slow tempos and minimalist arrangements. They are one of the earlier bands to adopt and popularize the style, making them considerable contributors to the slowcore movement. (It is worth noting that the band dislike this label. In an interview Alan Sparhawk says of descriptions of their music: “What’s the cheesiest? Slow-core. I hate that word. The most appropriate is anything that uses the word minimal in it, but I don’t think anybody’s made one up for that”) Parker and Sparhawk’s striking vocal harmonies represent perhaps the group’s most distinctive element.
History
The band formed in the spring of 1993. Sparhawk had been playing in the Duluth, Minnesota, band Zen Identity. That band needed a new bassist, and Nichols was recruited. At that time, Nichols was a senior at Superior Senior High School in nearby Superior, Wisconsin, and bassist in the band Lorenzo’s Tractor.
Their music is commonly described as “slowcore,” a subgenre characterised by slow tempos and minimalist arrangements. They are one of the earlier bands to adopt and popularize the style, making them considerable contributors to the slowcore movement. (It is worth noting that the band dislike this label. In an interview Alan Sparhawk says of descriptions of their music: “What’s the cheesiest? Slow-core. I hate that word. The most appropriate is anything that uses the word minimal in it, but I don’t think anybody’s made one up for that”) Parker and Sparhawk’s striking vocal harmonies represent perhaps the group’s most distinctive element.
History
The band formed in the spring of 1993. Sparhawk had been playing in the Duluth, Minnesota, band Zen Identity. That band needed a new bassist, and Nichols was recruited. At that time, Nichols was a senior at Superior Senior High School in nearby Superior, Wisconsin, and bassist in the band Lorenzo’s Tractor.
Similar Artists
Codeine, Low & Dirty Three, Galaxie 500, Red House Painters, Arab Strap, Yo La Tengo, Bedhead… see all
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Shoutbox
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heavenforbid wrote:
Seeing Low live is an experience unlike any other, I think. Much love.
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riigo wrote:
the curtain hits the cast <333. much love for this band,
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UntilYouReform wrote:
My favorite band evar.
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mozzer2004 wrote:
wonderful band, cant get enough of them
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Orange-Minz wrote:
just bought "i could live in hope"....best slowcore album i heard in a long time.....ok, low are the masters of slow music :))
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shinjukublack wrote:
Low is Beauty. Incarnate.
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foma wrote:
things we lost in fire
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nouvellevie wrote:
Reason why I am relocating to Duluth. Just kidding. Sorta.
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stephcain wrote:
i can't wait to see them live!
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FootToFace wrote:
sLOWcore
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RottenBerry wrote:
I love this band. So much. It's weird because I often become acquainted with music as background noise, but this band has mostly grabbed me from the beginning and it's never passive listening.
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See27 wrote:
They are one of my favourites.. amazing live.. favourite albums are Long Division and Secret Name.
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rigoisphat wrote:
I COULD LIVE IN HOPE
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mat35 wrote:
I like. I got Long Division. It reminds me of the slow, vocal tracks that Mogwai sometimes do, R U still in 2 it, etc... I know these guys came first, and therefore it Mogwai sounding like these not other way round, just sayin. What's the best to get next?
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rigoisphat wrote:
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
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UntilYouReform wrote:
WHY MUST THEIR CHICAGO SHOW BE 21+?!?!?! NOOOOO
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corganzero wrote:
They are indeed captivating live! I saw them in March of '08 and it was one of the best shows I've been to.
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thomblake wrote:
Knocked up my first music video this morning, it's for Murderer by Low. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfvWlNWNyAU Totally in love with this song!
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v_vader wrote:
At first ive go to listen last 3 cds and thought that they were great! but after listening to the rest i like "I Could Live in Hope " the most . Addictive music.
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Ciacchi wrote:
best discovery in the last few days.
Listeners
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Top Listener
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Events
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Aug
27
Eight Is Enough: The Concert to End Our Long, National Nightmare
The Turf Club, Minneapolis, United States
2 shouts
| 19 attendees -
Sep
11
Low
Barbi, Tel Aviv, Israel
5 shouts
| 39 attendees
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Sep
12
End of the Road Festival
Larmer Tree Gardens, Salisbury, United Kingdom
98 shouts
| 302 attendees
Recent Activity
- mthemordant and baerickson added baerickson and 1 other track to the playlist ‘Low’. 2 hours ago
- chisette tagged Low with ‘slowcore’. 4 hours ago
- xtheregretx, oogie-woogie, dance-of-days, alekseizec, afawendy, rgracey, baredirtyfeet, tomtomtommy1 and tomelko added tomelko and 9 other tracks to the playlist ‘Low’. 5 hours ago
- GulasH added Low to the lineup of Low at Teatr Rozrywki. yesterday morning
- xroyalguardx, darklikethemind, insectintellect, annstevenson21 and JonathanAgar added JonathanAgar and 5 other tracks to the playlist ‘Low’. Wednesday morning
- thereceivingend tagged Low with ‘slowcore’. Tuesday evening
- sarbare, ajbrandt21, Litl-Swegan and GrahamRiz added GrahamRiz and 4 other tracks to the playlist ‘Low’. Tuesday evening
- mysz_ added Low to the lineup of Low at Teatr Rozrywki. Tuesday afternoon
- Nick_Night tagged Low with ‘experimental’. Tuesday afternoon
- DonnaLaFolle, quetzalcoatlist, tojna, paloohma, lookupmenumber, paulharro, micky67, poptekrecs, oooritush, stelaris, Arrastrados and sdl1 added sdl1 and 12 other tracks to the playlist ‘Low’. Tuesday morning
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Groups (173)
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Low
283 members
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More Information
- Links
- Band Members
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- Alan Sparhawk (1993 - present)
- John Nichols (1993 - 1994)
- Matt Livingston (2005 - 2008)
- Mimi Parker (1993 - present)
- Zak Sally (1994 - 2005)
