Was hard to figure who would open this show. We entered Spaceland to the snarky strums of Mike Doughty. As a frontman for the seminal Soul Coughing, Doughty had a penchant for delivering oddly poetic lyrics to a smack-soaked downtown jungle backdrop. He even worked as a doorman for the Knitting Factory for a while (rhubarb butter anyone?). Trading in heroin for coffee and losing the band, Doughty worked smart, riffy, folk, with occasional beats (more bacon than the pan can handle, anyone?). Just Doughty and drums, he ripped through some back catalog: 27 Jennifers, Looking at the World from the Bottom of a Well, Real Love, Nectarine, and a host of others. His new record of un-knowable covers seemed weirdly absent. I love this guy, even though his uber-hipster lyrics were often muddied by the guitar.
Low has been around forever. Husband and wife Alan Sparhawk (guitars) and Mimi Parker (drums) with bass/keys to round out the trio. I saw a description of Low as being "slow-core", which makes no sense until you start listening. Soft harmony vocal treats often give way to thunderous walls of squall. The new release, "The Invisible Way" produced by Jeff Tweedy is great and was well represented at this show. "The Great Destroyer" was also very good. This show was a run-up to Low's performance at Wilco's Solid Sound Festival. Don't put on some Low when you want to get up and dance, but if you are couch-bound and looking to reach for dreamland, wrap yourself in some Low and enjoy.
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