Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles, Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles (2024)

 

By Jimmy (Explosive Diarrhea) B

Before digging into an analysis of this album, I ask that you indulge me momentarily so that I can complain about myself. I purchased this album expecting to get a Low album, Alan Sparhawk was one-half of Low after all. I wanted a dark, moody, and sparse masterpiece. Upon my first listen to the album, I was disappointed, so disappointed that I put the CD on my pile of unwanted albums to dispose of later. What bothered me most was that the sound was full compared to Low, and Sparhawk’s vocals didn’t sound right without Mimi Parker—for those that don’t know, Mimi died in 2022. 

A couple of weeks after grumpily setting the CD aside, I grabbed it from the rejected music pile, and gave it a second listen. This time the album clicked with me; I got it. What did I get? I understood that Low was over, that the Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker magic was done, and that an album by one-half of Low was good enough. Sparhawk had clearly put a lot of mental energy and likely mental anguish into this album, one that I initially dismissed. I was aiming my anus to shit all over what I now think of as a good album.

It is not a perfect album; I have complaints. On their own albums, I find Trampled by Turtle’s pop bluegrass style tolerable but annoying. To their credit, they played to the intent of the songs/lyrics. There is only a hint of their weak bluegrass fluff. The powerful song, “Screaming Song,” could have been better if the back-up vocals had been dropped and if The Trampled ones had allowed a little more space for the vocals to set the tone. There is one song, “Get Still,” where Sparhawk’s voice doesn’t work. The vocals move in and out of falsetto with a lot of vocal accompaniments; it is disruptive to the flow of an otherwise good song. 

I had read the lyrics to “Screaming Song” before listening to it. The lyrics put into song exactly how I imagine it would feel to lose a spouse or partner—Mimi Parker was Sparhawk’s spouse. The message is powerful and painful. Sparhawk’s grief made me imagine my own future misery if I were to outlive my partner. Here is an excerpt: “When you flew out the window and into the sunset, I thought I would never stop screaming. I thought I would never stop screaming your name and I started screaming even louder but I ran out of breath, so I took in some more, and I started to scream even louder.” Fuck me—that is depressing.

For the most part, my original critique of the album was bullshit. Alan Sparhawk has created an emotionally charged album with just the right amount of bleakness to get across the mental images he wanted to present to the world.

Low has come to an end. Alan Sparhawk, the solo artist, is still here, and his album must be evaluated and enjoyed in this light, something I was eventually able to do.

This album was too depressing for me to tickle my taint, but I definitely enjoyed it.