Double Negative (album)

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Double Negative
A piece of black plastic on a light pink background
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 14, 2018 (2018-09-14)
Studio
Genre
Length48:50
LabelSub Pop
ProducerBJ Burton
Low chronology
Ones and Sixes
(2015)
Double Negative
(2018)
Hey What
(2021)
Singles from Double Negative
  1. "Quorum"
    Released: June 12, 2018
  2. "Dancing and Blood"
    Released: June 12, 2018
  3. "Fly"
    Released: June 12, 2018
  4. "Disarray"
    Released: August 16, 2018

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.

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[10]
Metacritic86/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
The A.V. ClubB−[12]
Clash9/10[13]
The Guardian[14]
Mojo[15]
Pitchfork8.7/10[16]
PopMatters9/10[2]
Q[17]
Record Collector[18]
Uncut9/10[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]

Accolades[edit]

Publication Accolade Rank
NPR The 50 Best Albums of 2018 17[21]
BrooklynVegan Top 50 Albums of 2018 2[22]
Uncut Uncut's Best New Albums of 2018 1[23]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2018 9[24]
Vulture The 15 Best Albums of 2018 2[25]
The Quietus 100 Best Albums of 2018 8[26]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2018 8[4]
The Wire Releases of the Year 1–50 10[27]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2018 8[28]
Pitchfork The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s 96[3]
Tiny Mix Tapes Favorite 50 music releases 7[29]
The Guardian The 50 best albums of 2018 9[30]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Low

No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Quorum"
  • Sparhawk
  • Parker
3:42
2."Dancing and Blood"Parker6:22
3."Fly"Parker5:48
4."Tempest"Sparhawk4:48
5."Always Up"
  • Sparhawk
  • Parker
5:28
6."Always Trying to Work It Out"Sparhawk3:55
7."The Son, The Sun"
  • Instrumental, spoken word by Parker
3:30
8."Dancing and Fire"Sparhawk4:17
9."Poor Sucker"Sparhawk3:35
10."Rome (Always in the Dark)"
  • Sparhawk
  • Parker
3:32
11."Disarray"
  • Sparhawk
  • Parker
3:52
Total length:48:50

Personnel[edit]

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
Artwork

Charts[edit]

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[31] 41
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[32] 31
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[33] 109
Irish Albums (IRMA)[34] 69
Italian Albums (FIMI)[35] 90
Scottish Albums (OCC)[36] 14
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[37] 23
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 52
UK Albums (OCC)[39] 26

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Low: Double Negative | Under the Radar". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Stasis, Spyro (September 11, 2018). "For Their 25th Anniversary Low Produce a Work of Unreal Quality in 'Double Negative'". PopMatters. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "2018's Best Albums—And Where to Hear Them". Stereogum. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Double Negative – Low". AllMusic. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  6. ^ "Double Negative is a profound, romantic return for Low | The Line of Best Fit". thelineofbestfit.com. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "Low: Double Negative | Crack Magazine". crackmagazine.net. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Pitchfork Staff (October 8, 2019). "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 4, 2023. On Double Negative, the patient slowcore sound that Low coined long ago disintegrates into broken melodies, distorted ambience, and distant echoes.
  9. ^ "Low Drops New Album 'Double Negative' September 14th, 2018 + Announces Worldwide Tour – Now Watch The Arresting Opening Triptych Video for *Quorum / Dancing and Blood / Fly*". Sub Pop. June 12, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  10. ^ "Double Negative by Low reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Double Negative by Low Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  12. ^ McLevy, Adam (September 14, 2018). "Low, Double Negative". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  13. ^ James, Gareth (September 13, 2018). "Low – Double Negative". Clash. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  14. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (September 14, 2018). "Low: Double Negative review – the sound of the world unravelling". The Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
  15. ^ Mulvey, John (October 2018). "Low: Double Negative". Mojo. No. 299. p. 87.
  16. ^ Juzwiak, Rich (September 14, 2018). "Low: Double Negative". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  17. ^ Oldham, James (October 2018). "Low: Double Negative". Q. No. 390. p. 112.
  18. ^ Goldsmith, Mike (September 2018). "Low – Double Negative". Record Collector. No. 483. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  19. ^ Deusner, Stephen (October 2018). "Low: Double Negative". Uncut. No. 257. p. 18.
  20. ^ Hogan, Marc (December 11, 2018). "The Best 50 Albums of 2018". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  21. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". All Songs Considered. NPR. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  22. ^ "BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2018". BrooklynVegan. December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  23. ^ "Uncut's best new albums of 2018". Uncut. December 21, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  24. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Paste. November 26, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  25. ^ Jenkins, Craig (December 3, 2018). "The 15 Best Albums of 2018". Vulture. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  26. ^ Turner, Luke (December 4, 2018). "Quietus Albums of the Year 2018, in Association with Norman Records". The Quietus. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  27. ^ "2018 Rewind: Releases of the Year 1–50". The Wire. No. 419. London. January 2019. p. 33 – via Exact Editions. (subscription required)
  28. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Media. December 11, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  29. ^ "2018: Favorite 50 Music Releases". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  30. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2018, No 9: Low – Double Negative". TheGuardian.com. December 11, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  31. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Low – Double Negative" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – Low – Double Negative" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  34. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 21 September 2018". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  35. ^ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 38 (dal 2018-09-14 al 2018-09-20)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  36. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  37. ^ "Top 100 Álbumes – Semana 38: del 14.9.2018 al 20.9.2018" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  38. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Low – Double Negative". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  39. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2018.