Low Documentary

On the flight back east, I finally got around to watching the Low documentary, You May Need a Murder. I was very late to Low, only discovering them after reading a review of 2005's The Great Destroyer, a record that unexpectedly floored me. I went back and picked up Things We Lost in the Fire, later 2007's Drums and Guns and then sort of lost interest. And then a neighbor recently offered to loan me the documentary.

The film mostly centers around lead singer Alan Sparhawk's life on the road with his wife and two children. Having logged approximately "500,000 miles" on the road, Sparhawk lets us inside a mind that seemingly turned to religion over chemical dependence. According to Sparhawk, he recognized at a young age where alcohol would lead him and cut it off early. Whether that was substituted with his almost militant religious views is debatable, but this 70-minute films seems hardly enough to even catch a glimpse of all that swirls in his mind. Having suffered a bout or two with major mental illness (Low canceled a tour in the mid-late 2000s due to some sort of psychological troubles that Sparhawk could barely even discuss), one can see the energy and devotion rise in Sparhawk when he discusses his Mormon faith. All that said, in the end, it's the beautiful music that carries it all. Whether it's faith, politics or music, Sparhawk's an incredibly articulate and passionate person, and this outstanding documentary brings you right inside his world.