Probabilistic Jukebox: "Walk Into the Sea" by Low

Cover illustration of the Groundbreaking Booklet of the Masonic Brotherhood Center of the 1964 World's Fair, 1963

I'm glad this song popped up on the old jukebox today - what better reminder that Low has a new album coming out this spring? It will be the first album from the Minnesota indie-rock band since 2007's Drums and Guns. That album had some strong songwriting on it, but I always had issues listening to it because of the vocals-in-one-channel-instruments-in-the-other production. The production of Low's previous album, The Great Destroyer, also prompted a lot of production-related complaints, mostly from people who didn't like indie-superstar producer David Fridmann's style (or how it interfaced with Low's style).

I liked The Great Destroyer well enough - my issues with it had more to do with a very patchy second half, which is more redeemed by "Walk Into the Sea", a monster of a closing number and one of my favorite Low songs ever. For me, this song has a lot of the charm of early Low albums, which might seem odd - on the surface, the big drums and chugging tempo has little connection to the sparse, dark hymns of early Low. But, as some music writer noted years ago, Low's music is often about what happens in between the notes. The use of phrasing and "spacing" comes into play in "Walk Into the Sea" - Alan Sparhawk uses brief pauses in his singing to create tension, and the instrumentation has a similar ebb and flow. And, of course, it's about how Sparhawk's voice blends with Mimi Parker's.

Low's new album C'mon doesn't have a release date yet (I think) - watch for it around April or May.

"Walk Into the Sea" by Low