Low - Rolling Thread

I’m imagining this scenario, now what happens?

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Impressions on current second listen are that the album flows really well, almost as a sequence of moods rather than songs, with much of that mood being dark and oppressive. The opening trio have a compelling grumbling pulse to them and lead into Tempest really well, the tranquil middle section of which adds light (like surfacing from the bottom of a muddy lake) before you’re dragged back down again. The tranquility of Always Up feels quite close to ‘normal Low’ to me before more funereal pounding during the second Always. So far, so listenable. The Son, The Sun sounds like it is drawn from the Alien soundtrack, disturbingly chilly. The gentle strums of Dancing And Fire are like coming in from the cold to a warm fire, and this feels just what is needed this far into the album. The last three tracks close out on tense, rapid delivery - for Low anyway - (Poor Sucker), crashing distortion (Rome) and glitchy but almost uplifting Disarray.

All in all, it’s not exactly an easy listen, but it’s no more a departure than Portishead’s Third was from Dummy (and it’s lacklustre follow up). I can see the IWC references, but having not listened to them since Drums and Guns, it does seem like a progression from that record rather than attempt to be wilfully awful. They still haven’t topped Point of Disgust though.

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Kathryn Joseph announced as the support for their Manchester show next month

Think “Always Trying To Work It Out” might become my favourite track from the album

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Don’t apologise for showering praise on this excellent album. It wasn’t you who derailed the thread

Doing the Manchester show and the London one on the next tour (and hopefully Birmingham too).

Low shows 18, 19 & 20.

Like everything you wrote there except the Portishead eponymous album being a “lacklustre follow up”

:slight_smile: Sorry about that, I absolutely loved Dummy and really didn’t get why its follow up was so well received. Sounds like i should give it another go…

It’s an album that has grown on me in the (many) years since its release. I still don’t think it’s as good as Dummy, but then few albums are, but it has some absolutely amazing songs on it. They sound even better on the PNYC Live album (still one of my favourite live albums ever).

Side note: Point of Disgust is also one of my favourite Low songs. :slight_smile:

haha no worries, feel free to be as enthusiastic as you like

don’t think anyone’s derailed the thread have they? unless you count anyone not feeling the album as a derailment

The Mark Kozelek stuff?

oh fair enough i skipped past all that

Not everything is a slight against you

(except this, I guess. Big fan of your posting overall)

aye sorry i’d skipped a load of the thread so didn’t realise what else you could be on about. and cheers!

I’m on about my fifth listen of this album since Friday. It’s been a long time since an album has grabbed my attention in such a way. I think it’s a great record. And if any band has earned the right to record an album like this so late in their career, it’s Low.

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c_c_b!

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Yes mate! Great post and completely agree. Nice to see you around these parts again

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stop getting bon iver wrong!

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Yeah, not enough sax on this album

I’m just a mirage!

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