Pitchfork

Just as the frost clears on the cusp of spring this coming year, it'll be time to get low with the stately winter-core of Low once again, as the Duluth trio-- now augmented with new bassist Matt Livingston-- unleashes its eighth long-player, and second for Sub Pop, tentatively titled The Violet Path.

As with its predecessor, 2005's The Great Destroyer, The Violet Path features production from studio ace and fifth Flaming Lip Dave Fridmann. While on the road with the Retribution Gospel Choir, Low's Alan Sparhawk was kind enough to share a few bits of information on the new disc with Pitchfork.

Themes of murder and death, as it happens, permeate The Violet Path. "Near as I can tell, it's all about killing," Sparhawk told Pitchfork. "I was kind of realizing the other day that a lot of the songs deal with either killing someone or dying. I don't know, it's kind of funny...maybe that's the big question. [We're] kind of living in a time when it's good to talk about killing and being killed."

Perhaps most exciting of all, the new release boasts a recording of "Murderer", one of the trio's finest songs to date-- previously only available on ultra-limited-edition vinyl.

Along with "Murderer", other homicidal numbers set to appear on The Violet Path include "Breaker", "Violent Past" ("rhymes with Violet Path," Alan was quick to point out), "Pretty People", and "Hatchet"-- the last of which is "the getting along song. It's not as violent as the title, I think."

Parental discretion notwithstanding, The Violet Path gets the seal of approval from Sparhawk and Low drummer/vocalist Mimi Parker's two young children, Hollis and George: "They like it. [Hollis] calls this record 'Mom and Dad music.'"

As mentioned, Dad's presently out touring the wilds of America with the Retribution Gospel Choir, which also includes bassist Livingston and drummer Eric Pollard. The trio put together Tour EP #2 for the occasion and wrap up this autumn jaunt with a hometown gig at Duluth, Minnesota's Pizza Lucé on November 11. They'll also hit us with some vinyl in the near future.

Low, meanwhile, have a few engagements planned for December, where you'll likely hear tunes from their Christmas album and scope some of Alan's seasonally-swank scarfs. Then after a couple months' reprieve, it's off to Europe in the new year.

Dates:

12-05 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
12-06 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
12-08 Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music *
12-09 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
02-15 London, England - Spitz
02-16 Bruge, Belgium - Concertgebouw (Music in Mind Festival)
04-27-29 Somerset, England - Butlins Minehead (All Tomorrow's Parties)

* with the Astronomer