I winced when I read Pitchfork's announcement of the new single by "slowcore" trio Low (local writers stopped using that term almost a decade ago). Upon hearing the track, though, I have to admit the tag does indeed fit again, at least for one song. Titled "Try to Sleep," it's a lovely, soft and truly sleepy-eyed song that serves as a great reminder of Alan Sparhawk's and Mimi Parker's intimate harmonizing talent. Click here to get the track from Sub Pop Records, which will release the full album, "C'mon," on April 12. The band's third disc for the famed Seattle label -- and its first disc in four years -- "C'mon" was recorded at Sacred Heart studio/church in Duluth. That's the album cover art to the right. In the PR notes, Sparhawk describes the record as "warm, pretty, large like Nashville without the country. Mim and I are talking to each other in the lyrics, sometimes it's not pretty, but it's as honest as love."
Low will return to First Ave on April 16 for a CD-release gig, but that's not the first show behind the album. The band plans to hit the South by Southwest Music Conference in mid-March (including a sure-to-be-memorable show in St. David's Sanctuary). Then it will head to New York for a wonderful double-bill at Radio City Music Hall with Explosions in the Sky. Other gigs on its spring tour itinerary include a stop at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh and shows all over Europe.
All this news serves as notice that Sparhawk's main vehicle of late, Retribution Gospel Choir, will likely be put back in the garage following its winter tour with Peter Wolf Crier, which coincidentally lands tonight at the Cedar Cultural Center (8 p.m., $12). Another coincidence: The release date of the Low album also happens to be the same day Robert Plant will perform at the State Theatre in Minneapolis promoting his "Band of Joy" album. The record features recuts of two songs from Low's 2005 album "The Great Destroyer," including the Grammy-nominated cover of "Silver Rider." I'm thinking an onstage meet-up with the Golden God for "Silver Rider" is in order.
