Alan Sparhawk – White Roses, My God – Album Review
by Killian Laher

The new Alan Sparhawk solo album is incredibly jarring with its beat-ridden electronica and Sparhawk’s vocals distorted out of all recognition.  To be specific, his vocals are autotuned and pitched up several octaves which make him sound like a disturbing cartoon character.  Songs like Get Still and I Made This Beat follow this template which makes them sound like an aural nightmare, particularly the menacing-sounding Can U Hear.

Heaven is more stripped-down and a little more palatable, but the lyrics are almost too sad considering the events of the last few years.  On the other hand, the vocals on Black Water are just too irritating to tolerate.  Towards the end of the album, the penultimate track Somebody Else’s Room is quite creepy with Sparhawk’s high-pitched growl of “there’s a body in the basement”.

Low’s appeal was based on the combination of the late Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk’s voices. On this release, Sparhawk has distorted his voice out of all recognition.  Some might say it’s a logical follow-on from Low’s final two albums, Double Negative and Hey What.  But the combination of warped electronica and Sparhawk’s helium-flecked vocals will be a bridge too far for many.  Let’s hope he’s got this out of his system and can move in a different direction.

Get Still