There is something endearing about the husband and wife synergy showcased by Low’s Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. Both voices flow effortlessly in tandem often echoing the wistful melodrama that is evoked by Sparhawk’s sedate and often distant guitar tremors. Album titles such as ‘I Could Live in Hope’ and ‘The Invisible Way’ hint at religious allegory even if it is in a slightly more ambiguous and credible format than the imposing sanctimony and self righteous cheese of Christian rock. That aside, the songs are often littered with dreamy and ponderous sentiments that create an engaging sense of awe and wonderment.
The Classic Grand appears to provide the right level of intimacy for a band who pride themselves on subtle dynamics and gentle arrangements. So quiet are Low in fact that music can be heard from the downstairs hall which cues a rousing impromptu version of Talking Heads’ ‘Psycho Killer’ which serves to lighten the mood. While ‘Monkey’ from album The Great Destroyer has a foreboding electro undercurrent, ‘Words’ from debut album ‘I Could Live in Hope’ builds steadily and peaks on the chorus where both voices carefully compliment each other with a somewhat comforting yet eerie sense of harmony.
‘Witches’ is one of the few occasions where Sparhawk’s guitar steps up a notch yet never over reaching with any low-fi intensity that would otherwise spoil their distinctive penchant for subtlety. Chants of “Murderer!” as one of the last song requests was a somewhat strange thing to hear in an aggressive Glaswegian accent, almost as inappropriate as hearing someone at a Radiohead concert shout “I’m a Creep!” – a sense of irony and self awareness perhaps lost on some people. Sparhawk is in fine form as he shrugs off the occasional heckle and dedicates a song to Justin Bieber before ending the evening with the aptly titled ‘I Hear… Goodnight.’
