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Baker's Dozen

Nothing But Heart: Alan Sparhawk of Low's Favourite Albums
Dale Berning Sawa , March 29th, 2012 07:13

Low and Retribution Gospel Choir play in the UK next week. In advance of a full interview on the Quietus next week, frontman Alan Sparhawk spoke to Dale Berning about his thirteen favourite albums

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PJ Harvey - Dry
I remember first hearing this at a used clothing store where a friend of mine worked in town, and just being like “What the hell is this? This is so good.” I got it on cassette and listened to it in my truck over and over and over again. I love her. She’s one of the greats. If you were to pick three or five of the most respectable, serious, focused musicians with great integrity, she’d be up there with Neil Young – she's a great example of an artist really committing to it and trying to make something good. Bjork is another one. I guess I picked that record because it’s the first one I heard, but everything she’s done since I’ve always loved. Around the time she made Rid Of Me, she did these four-track sessions. It’s like Diamanda Galás disturbing, really raw, just her singing and wailing and guitar. Rid Of Me is hard edge, raw – one of the great Albini records, but that four-track shit is challenging and intense.