This one's real special to me, kids. Slowcore titans Low released this miniature masterpiece between the unfairly derided Trust and the more fairly derided The Great Destroyer. This, combined with the fact that it was a somewhat limited run 10", led to it getting largely overlooked. VERY unfortunate, as it contains some of their finest compositions.
The version of "Silver Rider" on here is, in my opinion, vastly superior to the Great Destroyer version -- instead of shouting its prettiness at you, the song glides along in a stately, widescreen haze of keyboard, patient, buoyant floor tom, and angelic vocals.
The real showstopper, though, is the dramatic, chill-inducing title track, in which vocalist Alan Sparhawk, clearly working through some crisis of faith, speaks directly with God, accusing Him of hiding murderous tendencies, and finally, offering his services as a divine killer for hire. This EP has helped get me through some pretty rough times -- really -- and I hope that, should it be needed, it might do the same for you sometime.
Track listing:
1. Murderer
2. Silver Rider
3. From Your Place on Sunset
One more thing before I go
One more thing I ask you, Lord
You may need a murderer
Someone to do your dirty work
I have only had the Dirty 3/Low collaboration cd. Thanks for this I need to revisit Low.
ReplyDeleteThanks dude! What a haunting and affecting record. And I like Low, though this one slipped under my radar. I immediately went on-line to find a copy of the 10". I say F.U. to the corporate entities and even some artists who complain about piracy. Dude, your blog brought this great record to my attention and now I've bought a copy. And I must express some long, LONG overdue appreciation of your blog. I check it daily and am indebted to you for posting all these great overlooked or obscure gems in all these widely diverse genres. The sharing of your love for this music does not go unnoticed. A million thanks. zogaddams
ReplyDeleteSo glad you got to hear it! I've noticed that even people that are really into Low often haven't heard this one, and it's one of their best releases. And thanks for letting me know -- I really don't put that much effort into this blog, but it's still nice to hear that people are connecting with music through it.
DeleteI've been listening to this since I found it on here a year ago and I just have to say thank you for turning me on to it. This release has a healing power.
ReplyDeleteI'm here because watch a movie the night comes for us 2018
ReplyDeleteThis was the first thing I reached for on hearing Mimi's passing. That title track is a genius work.
ReplyDeleteJust found out there is another version of Murderer is on their Drums and Guns album. Thanks for sharing such an amazing deep cut. R.I.P. Mimi!
ReplyDelete