White Roses, My God

Last updated

White Roses, My God
Alan Sparhawk - White Roses, My God.png
Studio album by
Alan Sparhawk
ReleasedSeptember 27, 2024
Recorded2023
Studio20 Below Studios (Duluth, Minnesota)
Length34:54
Label Sub Pop
Producer
  • Alan Sparhawk
  • Nat Harvie
Alan Sparhawk chronology
Solo Guitar
(2006)		White Roses, My God
(2024)
Singles from White Roses, My God
  1. "Can U Hear"
    Released: July 16, 2024
  2. "Get Still"
    Released: August 20, 2024
  3. "Heaven"
    Released: September 25, 2024

White Roses, My God is the second solo album by former Low guitarist/vocalist Alan Sparhawk, released on September 27, 2024, by Sub Pop. It is Sparhawk's first album since the death of his wife and bandmate, Mimi Parker, and the subsequent end of their band. Sparhawk began recording for the album in late 2023. It was preceded by three singles.

Contents

Background and release

White Roses, My God is Sparhawk's first album since his wife and Low bandmate Mimi Parker died of ovarian cancer in 2022, [1] [2] and the subsequent retirement of the band. [3] [4] Encouraged by his friend, Lambchop's Kurt Wagner, Sparhawk returned to live performances. [5] He played shows with his and Parker's daughter Hollis, [5] opened for Lambchop and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, [6] and played a solo set at Utrecht music festival Le Guess Who? 2023. [5] [7] Low had cancelled their headling set at the 2022 edition of Le Guess Who? due to Parker's health, and she died a week before the festival. [5] [7]

Sparhawk also started recording around the same time, [3] and started two new groups: punk funk band Derecho Rhythm Section, and funky electronic duo Damien with his and Parker's son Cyrus. [5] A second solo album, a collaborative project with Duluth, Minnesota, folk band Trampled by Turtles, began during that time. [5]

Sparhawk first mentioned White Roses, My God in an interview with The New Yorker 's Justin Taylor, published April 11, 2024. [1] At the time, he said the album would be released in late 2024. [3] Sparhawk later shared on Low's Twitter account that the album would be released by Sub Pop in "late September", and that its first song would be released in July. [8]

The album was officially announced on July 16, with a release date set for September 27 by Sub Pop. [9] The lead single, "Can U Hear", was released the same day, accompanied by a music video directed by Rick Alverson. [9] [10] The song is electronic [9] [10] and "near-industrial". [9]

The second single, "Get Still", was released on August 20, accompanied by a music video directed by Ingrid Weise. [11] Like "Can U Hear", "Get Still" consists of electronic instrumentation, with Sparhawk's "voice so heavily Auto-Tuned that it no longer sounds recognizably human." [11] The third single, "Heaven", was released on September 25, 2024, with a music video directed by Alverson. [12] [13]

When asked on Twitter about the album name's significance, Sparhawk said, "Mim loved roses, and sometimes I think she is God." [14]

Recording

The album was recorded at 20 Below Studios in Duluth, Minnesota. [9] Sparhawk produced and recorded along with Nat Harvie, who also mixed the album, and Heba Kadry mastered it. [9] On these recordings, Sparhawk said he "was messing with this rigid stuff. There were moments where it would quickly become very visceral, very spontaneous. You've created the structure for it to happen and come through you, but you're trusting the universe about what is going to come in." [3] Those recordings included him experimenting with improvising guitar and pitch-shifted vocals over a preset synthesizer clocked to a drum machine. [3]

Style

Stylistically, White Roses, My God follows Low's last two albums, 2018's Double Negative and 2021's Hey What , in applying layers of distortion over otherwise-straightforward songwriting. [5] Going further down that route, Sparhawk included synthesizers, drum machines, dance beats, and pitch-shifted vocals. [5] All of the album's vocals were recorded with a vocoder. [15] Influences included Prince's alter ego Camille and Neil Young's album Trans . [5]

Reception

Keith Harris of the website Racket placed White Roses, My God at No. 8 on his list of the best 2024 albums by Minnesota artists, writing that "It's a work about death as how could it not be, and also a work of survival, and its sound demands metaphors—of self-mutilation, willed ego death, or simply transformation." [16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alan Sparhawk.

White Roses, My God track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Get Still"3:43
2."I Made This Beat"1:53
3."Not the 1"2:28
4."Can U Hear"3:29
5."Heaven"1:07
6."Brother"4:30
7."Black Water"3:34
8."Feel Something"3:21
9."Station"3:44
10."Somebody Else's Room"3:48
11."Project 4 Ever"3:17
Total length:34:54

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Slowcore, also known as sadcore, is a subgenre of indie rock characterised by its subdued tempos, minimalist instrumentation, and sombre vocal performances. Slowcore's influences are diverse, involving varying other genres, including folk rock, alternative rock, dream pop, and Midwest emo. As a result of these contrasting stylistic directions, there is no definitive characterisation of the genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Kil Moon</span> American folk rock act

Sun Kil Moon is an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, founded in 2002. Initially a continuation of the defunct indie rock band Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon is now the primary recording moniker of vocalist and guitarist Mark Kozelek. The project is named after the Korean super flyweight boxer Sung-Kil Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low (band)</span> American indie rock group (1993–2022)

Low was an American indie rock band from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993 by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. The band was a trio from 1993 to 2020, having featured four different bassists. Low disbanded following the death of Parker in 2022.

<i>The Great Destroyer</i> 2005 studio album by Low

The Great Destroyer is the seventh studio album by American indie rock band Low. It was released on January 25, 2005, as their first recording on Sub Pop Records.

<i>The Curtain Hits the Cast</i> 1996 studio album by Low

The Curtain Hits the Cast is the third studio album by American indie rock band Low. It was released in 1996 on Vernon Yard Recordings.

<i>Long Division</i> (Low album) 1995 studio album by Low

Long Division is the second studio album by American indie rock band Low. It was released on May 23, 1995, on Vernon Yard Recordings.

<i>Songs of the Unforgiven</i> 2004 studio album by Crash Test Dummies

Songs of the Unforgiven is the seventh studio album recorded by Crash Test Dummies, released in 2004.

<i>I Could Live in Hope</i> 1994 studio album by Low

I Could Live in Hope is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Low. It was released on February 18, 1994, on Vernon Yard Recordings.

<i>Songs for a Dead Pilot</i> 1997 EP by Low

Songs For A Dead Pilot is a 1997 EP/mini-album by Duluth, Minnesota slowcore group Low, released in 1997. It was their first release on Kranky, and is viewed as their most minimalistic recording. The title is a reference to a pilot whose plane had crashed, whom the band read about. No credit is given for the cover artwork in the liner notes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Parr</span> American country blues musician (born 1967)

Charlie Parr is an American country blues musician. Born in Austin, Minnesota, he spent part of his childhood in Hollandale before starting his music career in Duluth. His influences include Charlie Patton, Bukka White, Reverend Gary Davis, Dave Van Ronk, Mississippi John Hurt, and his self-professed "hero" "Spider" John Koerner. He plays a Mule resonator, National resonator guitar, a fretless open-back banjo, and a twelve-string guitar, often in the Piedmont blues style. He is divorced from Emily Parr, who occasionally adds vocals to his music. He has two children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retribution Gospel Choir</span> Indie rock band

Retribution Gospel Choir is an indie rock band based in Duluth, Minnesota. Current members of the band include Alan Sparhawk and Steve Garrington (bass), both of whom are also in the band Low, and Eric Pollard. Despite sharing the majority of their members, RGC's high-energy performance differs greatly from Low's subdued, minimalist feel.

<i>Tonight the Monkeys Die: Low Remixed</i> 2006 remix album by Low

Tonight the Monkeys Die: Low Remixed is a remix album of the song "Monkey" from Low's 2005 album The Great Destroyer.

<i>Retribution Gospel Choir</i> (album) 2008 studio album by Retribution Gospel Choir

Retribution Gospel Choir is the eponymous debut album from the American musical group band Retribution Gospel Choir, led by Alan Sparhawk of the band Low. The album was released in the US on March 18, 2008, through Mark Kozelek's Caldo Verde Records. Kozelek also produced the album.

<i>Cmon</i> (Low album) 2011 studio album by Low

C'mon is the ninth studio album by American indie rock band Low. It was released on April 12, 2011 on Sub Pop records. The album was recorded at Sacred Heart Studio, a former Catholic church in Duluth, Minnesota, where the band previously recorded 2002's Trust. The album includes guest contributions from Nels Cline, Caitlin Moe of Trans-Siberian Orchestra (violin) and Dave Carroll of Trampled by Turtles (banjo).

<i>The Seer</i> (Swans album) 2012 studio album by Swans

The Seer is the twelfth studio album by the American experimental rock band Swans. It was released by Young God Records on August 28, 2012. Producer and front man Michael Gira funded the recording of the album with the sales of the live double album We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Have a Nice Life</span> American post-punk band

Have a Nice Life is an American rock band founded in Middletown, Connecticut in 2000 by Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga.

<i>Jesu/Sun Kil Moon</i> 2016 studio album by Jesu and Sun Kil Moon

Jesu / Sun Kil Moon is a collaborative studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and British experimental act Jesu, released on January 21, 2016 on Caldo Verde Records and Rough Trade. The album also features guest musicians Will Oldham, members of Low, Rachel Goswell of Slowdive, and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. Jesu and Sun Kil Moon including drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth played six shows in February and March 2016 to support the album.

<i>Double Negative</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Low

Double Negative is the twelfth studio album by Low, released on September 14, 2018. It is the last album to feature bass guitarist Steve Garrington, who would go on to leave the band in 2020.

<i>Hey What</i> 2021 studio album by Low

Hey What is the thirteenth and final studio album by Minnesota-based duo Low, released on September 10, 2021, through Sub Pop. It is their third recording in a row produced by BJ Burton, building on the distorted sound of the band's previous album Double Negative (2018). Burton and Hey What were nominated in the Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical category at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. It is their only album as a duo of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker, all earlier Low albums being recorded as a trio.

<i>Your Voice Is Not Enough</i> 2024 tribute album to Low

Your Voice Is Not Enough is a tribute album featuring covers of songs by Low in dedication to Mimi Parker. The album was announced in December 2023 without a release date. The collection contains contributions from artists such as Planning for Burial, Have a Nice Life, and Midwife among other bands, and was collated and released by the record label The Flenser.

References

  1. 1 2 Monroe, Jazz (April 11, 2024). "Low's Alan Sparhawk Promises Solo Album This Fall in New Yorker Interview". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  2. ↑ Moreland, Quinn (November 6, 2022). "Low's Mimi Parker Has Died". Pitchfork . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Taylor, Justin (April 11, 2024). "The Heart of Low". The New Yorker . Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  4. ↑ Helman, Peter (April 11, 2024). "Low's Alan Sparhawk Preps Solo Album White Roses, My God". Q . Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Hutcheon, David (July 19, 2024). "Low's Alan Sparhawk on the death of his wife and bandmate Mimi Parker: "If you fall in love, you know this could happen"". The Guardian . Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  6. ↑ Rettig, James (April 11, 2024). "Low's Alan Sparhawk Prepping New Solo Album White Roses, My God". Stereogum . Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (November 12, 2023). "Alan Sparhawk review – beautiful, obliterating hymns to Low's Mimi Parker". The Guardian . Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  8. ↑ Sparhawk, Alan [@lowtheband] (June 12, 2024). "Just heading home today from making a couple videos for the new solo record. First song drops in July. Full record is out in late September on Sub Pop" (Tweet). Retrieved June 12, 2024– via Twitter.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Murray, Robin (July 16, 2024). "Alan Sparkhawk's "Can U Hear" Is a Deeply Profound Piece of Music". Clash . Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Hakimian, Rob (July 16, 2024). "Low's Alan Sparhawk Announces Solo Album With the Glitched-Up Nightmare "Can U Hear"". Beats Per Minute . Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  11. 1 2 Breihan, Tom (August 20, 2024). "Alan Sparhawk – "Get Still"". Stereogum. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  12. ↑ Breihan, Tom (September 25, 2024). "Alan Sparhawk – "Heaven"". Stereogum . Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  13. ↑ Redfern, Mark (September 25, 2024). "Alan Sparhawk of Low Shares Video for New Song "Heaven"". Under the Radar . Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  14. ↑ Ragusa, Paolo (July 16, 2024). "Low's Alan Sparhawk Announces Debut Solo Album White Roses, My God, Details 2025 Headlining Tour Dates". Consequence . Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  15. ↑ Sparhawk, Alan [@lowtheband] (July 19, 2024). "Did all the vocals with [the vocoder]. It was inspiring and freeing to be able to use my voice but get different sounds" (Tweet). Retrieved July 21, 2024– via Twitter.
  16. ↑ Harris, Keith (December 18, 2024). "The 20 Best Local Albums of 2024". Racket. Minneapolis, Minnesota . Retrieved January 17, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.