Steve Albini, Steve Fisk, Mark
Kramer, Dave Fridmann and Jeff Tweedy, they all have something in common. Despite all being fantastic and highly acclaimed producers, they have all been
behind the decks on a Low album. Tweedy is the latest to take control of Low's
sound, he's been trusted to produce Low's 10th studio album, in their 20th
anniversary year. It doesn’t seem that long ago since we had our hands on
Low's ninth studio album C'mon - it's been two years. You may remember
my review of C'mon, no? Let me refresh your memmory: "Whether
or not they can improve all depends on how much time they take to focus on a
direction." C'mon is a guitar heavy album with a faster
tempo than their now elderly recordings in the 90s and 00s. My hypothesis has
turned out to be accurate, Low have indeed focussed on a new direction with The
Invisible Way.
Alan Sparhawk sings: "Well you could always count on your friends to get you high, that's right. And you could always count on the rents to get you by, you could fly. And now they make you piss into a plastic cup, and give it up," on the opening track "Plastic Cup". Sparhawk's lyrics tend to be imaginative, relatable and covered in metaphors and meanings. He's mixed two unusual Low subjects, archaeology and the war on drugs. The instrumentation is built around the world famous Low light percussion, acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies delivered by Sparhawk's wife Mimi Parker in her most dominant role on a Low album. At the end of the song, Sparhawk sings: "Well maybe you should go and write your own damn song, and move on." The lyrics are very presumptuous, and in regards to this ending lyric it seems like Sparhawk is directing this track at modern artists who dig up old influences and regurgitate their music, and of course, live a life of drugs.
"Amethyst" is in
reference to quartz, though closer to home - Lake Superior, Duluth, Minnesota.
The married couple sing: "You always hide, so deep inside the Amethyst
mine," you wouldn't be wrong in thinking this track is about a
passionate deep love, keeping the archaeological theme running. The vocal sits
on top of a slow instrumental with dark piano chords, minimal acoustic guitar
and a typical slow, steady drum beat. There's a lovely section of piano towards
the end, where the high notes are hit instead of the low notes. It's on this
note, where Low come into their own. The direction they have taken: piano.
"So Blue" is one of the most beautiful Low tracks I've ever heard.
They have a big discography with heart-wrenching lyricism and instrumentation,
but "So Blue" has Parker take lead vocal, and my god does she let the cat
out of the bag. She has two vocals, a quiet high pitched vocal and a more
prominent deeper vocal. It's an angelic vocal, with Steve Garrington's graceful
piano. Sparhawk isn’t completely absent, he does add only the fundamentals on
electric guitar, just to take the track forward and give the listener a little
bit more than Parker, the piano and another light percussion. And it continues
with "Holy Ghost", where Parker takes lead yet again. Sparhawk's
acoustic guitar is the focus with extremely minimal piano and percussion. The
progression is alluring and Parker's vocal never fails to live up to
expectation.
The vocal pairing is reunited
for the fifth track "Waiting". This is a very short and simple track
with Sparhawk and Parker singing loud over chilled instrumentation. It's a
pretty song and clearly quite intimate, typical Low. We have plenty of name
mentions in "Clarence White". First of all, Clarence White, acoustic
guitarist and what seems to be one of Sparhawk's influences on The Invisible
Way. Josh Murray, you'll have to help me out with this one Sparhawk... And
towards the end Charlton Heston, with Sparhawk reliving some nostalgic
childhood memories. "Four Score" follows - and like the previous two
tracks - leaves without saying goodbye. This little section on The Invisible
Way sounds a little too dry; it's not got the excitement of "So
Blue" or the lyricism and catchiness of "Plastic Cup". The
instrumentation is as minimal as ever, with Sparhawk performing a terrific job
on the electric guitar and likewise for Garrington on piano and bass.
"Just Make It Stop" demonstrates the melancholy side of Low. The
pre-release single features Parker on lead vocal and the backing of her band mates’
musical intensity to make this track a single. On the previous tracks, Low have
been without a killer verse / chorus / verse structure, and to be honest they
don't really need it. "Just Make It Stop" is the one track on The
Invisible Way with fast tempo, loud instrumentation and an upbeat rhythm.
"Mother" brings the listener back down to Low's level with a sad
track with delicate piano and an emotional Sparhawk. It's a break from the
single, and an introduction to the strongest track on The Invisible Way,
"On My Own". Low are in a standard tempo, the drumming is buoyant and
the bass animated. Sparhawk delivers a cute vocal with Parker mirroring his
vocal. After two minutes of this cheerful Low track, "On My Own"
turns gloom. The electric guitar with distortion that we've been without for 30
minutes makes a surprise appearance. It strikes like a bolt of lightning, with
the spacious, reverberated drumming and an optimistic left-sided piano. A few
minutes of this fantastic instrumental finalises with Sparhawk practically
shouting peculiarly: "Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy
birthday, happy birthday."
The final song is also one of
the best on The Invisible Way. "On Our Knees" is the fifth and
final track with Parker as lead vocalist. This transformation of Sparhawk lead
to Parker lead is down to her cult status and arguably stronger vocals on the
sadder of Low's back catalogue. Low ends the album in a splendid way, leaving
the listener stunned. The five minutes of "On My Own" hasn't quite
worn off yet, but the increasing instrumentation and powerful vocal of "On
Our Knees" is just as extravagant as the previous.
Low are one of my all-time
favourite artists. It's tricky to criticise such modern prettiness in
singer-songwriter / indie folk. Low shy away from the term slowcore, and
they're right to do so. They may have the slow tempo and the long, dreary
vocals with harmonies, but they are a core minimalistic folk band that like to
play a bit of rock. The Invisible Way sees Low venture away from
the electric guitar driven indie rock of C'mon, back to the simplistic
and anticlimactic albums of the late 90s. The electric guitar is almost taken
out completely, making only cameo appearances. The Invisible Way allows
the third and least known member of the trio Steve
Garrington, to take control as the driving force. He uses his piano to direct Low into a
direction they've never really gone down before. It works on "So
Blue" and it most certainly does the job on "Just Make It Stop".
It's been two years since C'mon, and to me Low never left - or at
least, they never left my listening habits.
~Eddie
8.6
