The Great Destroyer
2005 studio album by Low
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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.[1]
| The Great Destroyer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 25, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | May 3 – September 27, 2004 | |||
| Studio | Tarbox Road Studios, Cassadaga, New York, United States | |||
| Genre | Slowcore | |||
| Length | 52:48 | |||
| Label | Sub Pop | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Low chronology | ||||
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"California", a song about Sparhawk's mother, was released as the album's first single, backed with a demo of "Cue the Strings".[2] A remix EP of "Monkey", entitled "Tonight the Monkeys Die", soon followed.[3] Music videos were created for both.[2][3]
The title of the album (as well as the song "Silver Rider") is taken from the story within the album art.[4] Sparhawk describes "Cue the Strings" as a "shout-out" to the artists Roy Orbison, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and David Bowie.[5]
Critical reception
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Great Destroyer received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 from 34 critic scores. The site named it the 46th-best reviewed album of 2005.[6]
Track listing
All songs written by Mimi Parker, Zak Sally, and Alan Sparhawk
- "Monkey" – 4:19
- "California" – 3:23
- "Everybody's Song" – 3:55
- "Silver Rider" – 5:03
- "Just Stand Back" – 3:04
- "On the Edge Of" – 3:49
- "Cue the Strings" – 3:30
- "Step" – 3:18
- "When I Go Deaf" – 4:41
- "Broadway (So Many People)" – 7:14
- "Pissing" – 5:08
- "Death of a Salesman" – 2:28
- "Walk into the Sea" – 2:56
Personnel
Low
- Mimi Parker – percussion, vocals, production, mixing
- Zak Sally – bass guitar, production, mixing, painting, illustrations
- Alan Sparhawk – guitar, vocals, production, mixing
Additional personnel
- Gerry Beckley – backing vocals on "Everybody's Song"
- Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound
- Dave Fridmann – production, mixing, keyboards on "California", "Everybody's Song", "Step", and "Broadway (So Many People)"
- Tom Herbers – engineering
- Jeff Kleinsmith – layout
- Hollis Mae Sparhawk – vocals on "Step", photography
Songs covered
- "Monkey" - Robert Plant's Band of Joy – Released in 2010
- "Silver Rider" - Robert Plant's Band of Joy – Released in 2010
- "Everybody's Song" - Robert Plant with Suzi Dian's Saving Grace – Released in September 26, 2025