Band on serene journey to self-discovery, inner calm

Robert Hicks, Jersey Journal. September 10, 1999

Low has been called rock's slowest band. The Minnesota trio, which began in 1993 as a prankish joke on noisy, beer-swilling rock crowds, has developed into one of today's most haunting voices. Lately, they've tempered their slow dynamics, gentle textures and beautifully harmonic vocals with occasional pop stylings on their latest CD "Secret Name" (Kranky).

Now Low is readying for a tour that will bring them to Maxwell's on Monday.

"Secret Name," recorded by Steve Albini at electrical Audio in Low's homebase of Duluth, Minn., departs from the band's former staple rock instrumentation of guitar/bass/drums by adding piano, optigan and a guest string trio, consisting of violinist Ida Pearle from the alternative rock band Ida, violist Tresa Ellickson and cellist Kera, who has previously worked with Nirvana. "It's something we've been gravitating toward for a while," says co-leader Alan Sparhawk from Duluth.

"We've been messing around with some different orchestrations and arrangements. It's a natural process. The more you make records, the more you're cu rious about trying new things. That's where we are now as compared to so many bands who aren't as adventurous in that department. It's a step forward for us."

Low infuse their languorous charm with a hymnal quality through the spiritual harmonizing vocals of husband, guitarist Sparhawk, and his wife, percus sionist Mimi Parker, both 31. His gnarly mumble counterpoints her soaring, mellifluous flights to create a dreamy, romantic quality in their music.

"Mim's one of three sisters. Her other two sisters would sing in harmony, which was a real plus for Mim. She's been singing harmony since as long as she could sing.

"Taking a hard look at what we do in Low, one of the real things we have going for us is the harmonies. It just comes natural for the two of us. I'll get a good strong lead vocal melody, because I know whatever I come up with, Mim can find a harmony for it, and from there we'll push things that much further," says Sparhawk.

Low volume is the band's credo. Playing their usual guitar, bass and drums, they tread softly and quietly through a delicate sonic garden of sparse tones and intricate rhythms.

Guitarist Sparhawk doubles on piano. His simple, repeating chords on the song "Lion/Lamb" underscore the stark, introspective beauty of the vocal harmonies.

Bassist Zak Sally, 28, doubles on optigan, creating eerie moods and grainy textures on both the songs "I Remember" and "Don't Understand." Percussionist Parker strikes a beat and lets it resonate and fade until the next beat comes forth. She'll brush a cymbal to punctuate a moment of silence.

The string trio adds warm tones and colors, giving emotional depth to the music on the songs "Soon" and "Will The Night."

"It's something we've conditioned ourselves to," says Sparhawk. "When we first started playing soft, it was such a shock to us. It seemed strange. As we toured, we ended up laying slower and quieter and quieter until it sort of bottomed out.

"At a certain point, we realized we like playing quietly. Now we don't have to try so hard to reach that next level of quiet. It's okay, we're quiet, let's just play some good songs," says Sparhawk.

Slow pace is another of the band's trademarks. They proceed at a snail's gait, lingering over a somber tone, dwelling on a pensive insight, then mysteriously moving on to a new destination. Their music is rich with tonal subtleties, which they execute with a soft, delicate precision.

Their song "Missouri" (which they render vocally as "misery") opens with a tremolo guitar line from the '70s Bread song "If," which evokes romantic melancholy. Their music is undisturbed like a remote mountain pond before the wind ripples its waters. Yet, their sounds can be equally disquieting and disturbing emotionally through the supple communication between the instruments and voices. The music can be happy, but more often than not it concentrates on a dark corner of the human psyche.

"I'll have to admit some of it comes from the darker corners of one's experience in life," says Sparhawk. "Sometimes it's frustration. Sometimes it's an epiphany. Sometimes it's confusion. There's always some happiness, whatever comes my way.

"I don't spend a lot of my time screaming my head off about fast cars and chicks," he deadpans.

Pop song structure centers Low's music squarely in a rock world, but they like to bend the rules a little by introducing a kind of chamber music aura and experimental jazz edge through subtle tonal and harmonic variations. It may leave some listeners wondering if these Minnesotans ever listen to any rock music at all.

"People picture us as sitting around listening to the same kind of music all the time, but we're all pretty diverse in our interests," says Sparhawk.

"Zak and I are pretty much on the same wavelength. Zak's a little more into harder edged stuff. Back in the '80s, he turned me onto some of the Sub Pop Records stuff. At the time, I was still listening to The Cure. Mudhoney's first record changed us around in some ways. My Bloody Valentine. I turned Zak onto Joy Division and the Pixies.

"By the time you get to our age, you've got to acknowledge there's a lot of really amazing music in all genres. I'm just as likely to listen to George Jones as the Swans. I can listen to Bread and hear the genuine beauty and art in that as well as the Velvet Underground."

Low will not leave you sweaty and gyrating with uncontrollable hormonal energy. They flout the hard rock credo of fast and loud. If you're in the mood for a serene, contemplative moment of deep emotions and thought, though, Low will definitely engulf you in their hypnotic sway. It's a journey to self-discovery and inner calm.

"I think the music's a reflec tion of who we wish we were as opposed to who we are in reality," laughs Sparhawk. "Here's the side of me that's the most honest, and I'm not totally honest with myself all the time. Or maybe the music reflects the struggle between who you wish you are and who you really are."