Let's get slow
November 5, 2008 9:02 PM Subscribe
It's been a hectic and exciting week and it's barely half over. Let's slow down and take a trip over the ocean...
Little connects the following bands aside from being called slowcore. Regardless of how how much or little noise they make, they share the ability to conjure atmospheres of danger and mystery out of little more than playing rock very, very slowly...
Galaxie 500 has been retconned into being slowcore, songs like Tugboat helping their rep. The appropriately-named Codeine had a great song in the early 90s with Loss Leader but only lasted for a couple albums. The brothers Kadane have had a fruitful career, first with Bedhead (The Dark Ages) and later with The New Year (Disease). Ida takes a folksier approach in The Weight of The Straw. And coming from nowhere, Sister Ray offers a good, strange ten minute long video called Death.
Low is one of the best and longest-lived of them all, making quality music slowly for fifteen years. So here's Sunflower, Words from their first album, Point of Disgust, Because You Stood Still, and a remarkable live performance of Murderer.
Little connects the following bands aside from being called slowcore. Regardless of how how much or little noise they make, they share the ability to conjure atmospheres of danger and mystery out of little more than playing rock very, very slowly...
Galaxie 500 has been retconned into being slowcore, songs like Tugboat helping their rep. The appropriately-named Codeine had a great song in the early 90s with Loss Leader but only lasted for a couple albums. The brothers Kadane have had a fruitful career, first with Bedhead (The Dark Ages) and later with The New Year (Disease). Ida takes a folksier approach in The Weight of The Straw. And coming from nowhere, Sister Ray offers a good, strange ten minute long video called Death.
Low is one of the best and longest-lived of them all, making quality music slowly for fifteen years. So here's Sunflower, Words from their first album, Point of Disgust, Because You Stood Still, and a remarkable live performance of Murderer.
Ah, I was just listening to Luna's Bewitched today. Man, I love Tiger Lily.
Seam is another slowcore band I used to listen to, way back when.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:38 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]
Seam is another slowcore band I used to listen to, way back when.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:38 PM on November 5, 2008 [1 favorite]
The best mistake I ever made was buying Curtain Hits the Cast when it came out in 1996. I thought I was buying an album by a different band that I can't even remember now who someone had told me sounded like the Jesus Lizard. It took a while for the album to grow on me as it obviously wasn't what I was expecting but I realized pretty quickly that it was one of those rare perfect 10/10 type albums.
posted by The Straightener at 9:50 PM on November 5, 2008
posted by The Straightener at 9:50 PM on November 5, 2008
That's a really sweet video. Thanks!
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 9:52 PM on November 5, 2008
posted by lupus_yonderboy at 9:52 PM on November 5, 2008
I was expecting this to be a lead into the NZ parliamentary elections, being both slower and across the sea from just about everywhere, but still having some drama.
But that'd be too obvious.
posted by electronslave at 11:33 PM on November 5, 2008
But that'd be too obvious.
posted by electronslave at 11:33 PM on November 5, 2008
Man there was another band called Sister Ray from Ohio. This isn't the same one. Those are the facts.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:46 AM on November 6, 2008
posted by Potomac Avenue at 3:46 AM on November 6, 2008
I kept waiting for the drummer in that first video to get crushed by a chifferobe.
posted by medium format at 4:38 AM on November 6, 2008
posted by medium format at 4:38 AM on November 6, 2008
> Man there was another band called Sister Ray from Ohio. This isn't the same one.
There are a couple different bands naming themselves after the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray", but none that I could find info on seemed like bands that would make something like this. I'm stumped.
posted by ardgedee at 5:56 AM on November 6, 2008
There are a couple different bands naming themselves after the Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray", but none that I could find info on seemed like bands that would make something like this. I'm stumped.
posted by ardgedee at 5:56 AM on November 6, 2008
I've never heard of any of these bands, but this stuff is fantastic. Thanks for posting this.
posted by owtytrof at 7:37 AM on November 6, 2008
posted by owtytrof at 7:37 AM on November 6, 2008
I don't much care for Low's last few albums (rarely have i disapproved of Dave Fridmann production, but Low should have remained Low), but their early stuff is pretty close to perfect. I haven't listened to them in a while, so thanks for the post.
I'd add American Analog Set to the list of bands. I saw them once at SXSW, and ended up sitting down and reading a book during the show, just because that's what I always did when I listened to AmAnSet.
posted by Bookhouse at 7:47 AM on November 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
I'd add American Analog Set to the list of bands. I saw them once at SXSW, and ended up sitting down and reading a book during the show, just because that's what I always did when I listened to AmAnSet.
posted by Bookhouse at 7:47 AM on November 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
Tons more Low here. (Flash; isn't working in Firefox for some reason.)
They really are ridiculously good.
posted by greenie2600 at 7:48 AM on November 6, 2008
They really are ridiculously good.
posted by greenie2600 at 7:48 AM on November 6, 2008
ardgedee: Looks like this Sister Ray is from Vancouver and is pretty cool Portishead mixed with shoegaze.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:11 AM on November 6, 2008
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:11 AM on November 6, 2008
Thanks. I love Low.
posted by tiny crocodile at 9:52 AM on November 6, 2008
posted by tiny crocodile at 9:52 AM on November 6, 2008
Oh, and Drums and Guns (which Murderer is from) is a great album. Though if you're a long-time fan, maybe you'd need to hear it live so that you could see past the non-low-ish elements (loops and such). The songs are just as good as ever.
Last time we saw them, I turned to my friend and said "Low are just consistently amazing". No word of a lie. Also, such nice, polite people.
posted by tiny crocodile at 10:04 AM on November 6, 2008
Last time we saw them, I turned to my friend and said "Low are just consistently amazing". No word of a lie. Also, such nice, polite people.
posted by tiny crocodile at 10:04 AM on November 6, 2008
Was anyone else excited for a cool accelerated video of a plane's view flying shallow over the Atlantic?
/a boy can dream
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 10:45 AM on November 6, 2008
/a boy can dream
posted by Lacking Subtlety at 10:45 AM on November 6, 2008
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