For me Mimi's unique, beauteous voice and this group were
a living bridge between my 70s-classic-rock snobnose and
a realm of resonance I'd never expected to find in a more
minimalist expression like theirs...
There'll never be another like her... Her beloved Alan
and all closest to her will be in my prayers...
***
"MIMI PARKER, WHOSE lush soprano vocals and minimalist
drumming helped define the “slowcore” band Low, has died
following a battle with ovarian cancer.
Her husband, Low frontman Alan Sparhawk, confirmed the
news on Twitter, “Friends, it’s hard to put the universe
into language and into a short message, but… She passed
away last night, surrounded by family and love, including
yours. Keep her name close and sacred. Share this moment
with someone who needs you. Love is indeed the most
important thing.”
In recent months, Low have had to cancel many tour dates
while Parker underwent ovarian cancer treatment. “There
have been difficult days, but your love has sustained us
and will continue to lift us through this time,” Sparhawk
wrote in an Instagram message to fans on Oct. 7. Parker
said she had been diagnosed with cancer in Dec. 2020.
Parker and Sparhawk, a married couple that surprised
reporters by talking about how they were Mormon, formed
Low in Duluth, Minneosta in 1993. A number of bassists
have rounded out the trio, which was initially renowned
for how slowly they played. Their inspirations, according
to a 1995 Billboard interview with Sparhawk, were “Eno,
Joy Division, and the boredom of living in Duluth.”
Their debut album, 1994’s I Can Live in Hope, contained
sparse arrangements with some songs moving at a slug’s
pace, but for listeners who could pass the endurance
test, the songs were beautiful. The dolorous, 10-minute
“Lullaby,” which showcased Parker’s drawn-out lyrics, can
stir both tears and feelings of longing. Parker’s drum
kit at the time contained only a snare and a high-hat.
The trio built out its sound and picked up the tempo a
little, attracting buzz from indie-rock fans for albums
like 2001’s Things We Lost in the Fire and 2005’s The
Great Destroyer, the latter of which showcased Parker’s
and Sparhawk’s vocal harmonies. Former Led Zeppelin
frontman Robert Plant was so moved by The Great
Destroyer’s “Silver Rider,” which features the couple
singing in tandem, that he covered the song on his Band
of Joy album.
After getting a boost from their cover of “Little Drummer
Boy” featuring in a Gap ad around 2001, they finally
crossed onto the pop charts with 2007’s Drums and Guns,
though they did not compromise their sound, incorporating
electronic instruments into their studio work.
Their interest in electronics peaked on their last two
albums, 2018’s Double Negative, and last year’s Hey What.
Rolling Stone gave the latter album, which was more
experimental in its construction than previous Low LPs
while retaining poppy melodies, a positive review,
praising the couple’s harmonies and highlighting Parker’s
performance on “More” as a standout.
“The album’s best song, ‘More,'” the magazine wrote,
“features Parker making sense of a life of bitterness (‘I
should have asked for more than what I got’) over heavy-
metal electronics but with ‘la-la-la’ refrains and
Sparhawk howling, ‘aaa-ooooo,’ making it more bittersweet
than wholly acrimonious.”
Parker felt like the fact that the band didn’t have much
success, especially during the grunge boom, allowed them
more creative leeway. “We’d be trying to replicate that
success our whole career,” she told Vulture last year.
“That, honestly, has allowed us to do whatever we want.
It’s given us freedom to surprise ourselves and hopefully
others, too.”
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