Double Negative (album)
2018 studio album by Low
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Double Negative is the twelfth studio album by Low, released on September 14, 2018.[9] It is the last album to feature bass guitarist Steve Garrington, who would go on to leave the band in 2020.
| Double Negative | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 14, 2018 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:50 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop | |||
| Producer | BJ Burton | |||
| Low chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Double Negative | ||||
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Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.1/10[10] |
| Metacritic | 86/100[11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| The A.V. Club | B−[12] |
| Clash | 9/10[13] |
| The Guardian | [14] |
| Mojo | [15] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10[16] |
| PopMatters | 9/10[2] |
| Q | [17] |
| Record Collector | [18] |
| Uncut | 9/10[19] |
On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Double Negative has an average score of 86 based on 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[11] Writing in Pitchfork's list of the best albums of 2018, Marc Hogan said that "static prevails and flickering tones are almost untraceable to the instruments that made them," and that this sound "captured [2018's] pervasive dread like nothing else."[20] Alexis Petridis, in The Guardian's summary of the best albums of 2018, wrote "[I]n a world of predictable political music it seems unprecedented. That's partly because you don't expect a band to make their masterpiece 25 years into their career [...]. But it's mostly because, for all the vague precursors you could throw its way - from My Bloody Valentine to Radiohead's Kid A - Double Negative didn't sound like anything else, in Low's back catalogue or beyond."[21]
Accolades
| Publication | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| NPR | The 50 Best Albums of 2018 | 17[22] |
| BrooklynVegan | Top 50 Albums of 2018 | 2[23] |
| Uncut | Uncut's Best New Albums of 2018 | 1[24] |
| Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2018 | 9[25] |
| Vulture | The 15 Best Albums of 2018 | 2[26] |
| The Quietus | 100 Best Albums of 2018 | 8[27] |
| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2018 | 8[4] |
| The Wire | Releases of the Year 1–50 | 10[28] |
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2018 | 8[29] |
| Pitchfork | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 96[3] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | Favorite 50 music releases | 7[30] |
| The Guardian | The 50 best albums of 2018 | 9[31] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Low.
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Quorum" |
| 3:42 |
| 2. | "Dancing and Blood" | Parker | 6:22 |
| 3. | "Fly" | Parker | 5:48 |
| 4. | "Tempest" | Sparhawk | 4:48 |
| 5. | "Always Up" |
| 5:28 |
| 6. | "Always Trying to Work It Out" | Sparhawk | 3:55 |
| 7. | "The Son, The Sun" |
| 3:30 |
| 8. | "Dancing and Fire" | Sparhawk | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Poor Sucker" | Sparhawk | 3:35 |
| 10. | "Rome (Always in the Dark)" |
| 3:32 |
| 11. | "Disarray" |
| 3:52 |
| Total length: | 48:50 | ||
Personnel
- Low
- Steve Garrington – bass guitar
- Mimi Parker – vocals, percussion
- Alan Sparhawk – guitar, vocals
- Additional musicians
- Maaika van der Linde – bass flute on "Always Up"
- Technical
- Brett Bullion – assistant engineering
- B. J. Burton – recording, mixing, mastering
- Zach Hanson – assistant engineering
- Artwork
- David Kramer – editing assistance, design
- Peter Liversidge – artwork, photos
Charts
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[32] | 41 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[33] | 31 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[34] | 109 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[35] | 69 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[36] | 90 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[37] | 14 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[38] | 23 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[39] | 52 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[40] | 26 |