The Invisible Way

Low - The Invisible Way
Critic Score
Based on 30 reviews
2013 Ratings: #264 / 1115
User Score
Based on 108 ratings
2013 Rank: #387
Liked by 7 people
March 19, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Sub Pop / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

91
A.V. Club

It’s as if Low has taken its tried-and-true songwriting formula—a slow buildup into a smoldering climax—and stretched it to the length of an entire album. And an entirely superb one.

80
DIY

The Low we encounter on 'The Invisible Way' appears to have undergone an inversion; it is no longer Sparhawk's mildly irascible voice which dominates. 

80
musicOMH

There’s a majestic soulfulness here too that makes The Invisible Way one of their strongest, most coherent works.

80
PopMatters

Low have changed over the years, but they’ve remained vital, and The Invisible Way is one heck of a birthday present for the rest of us.

80
The Fly

Their 11th album, ‘The Invisible Way’, sounds so cleanly born and so fully satisfying that, by the measure of previous albums, it won’t change their position in the industry one bit. 

73
Pitchfork

The album sounds so good-- and so quintessentially Low-- that the music distracts from the occasionally weak songwriting, which is just what it’s supposed to do.

73
Beats Per Minute

The songs on the album sound as if they’ve come together quickly and naturally, which is also good from the listener’s perspective as none can be heard as too challenging or overwrought.

70
Drowned in Sound

The Invisible Way is above all a record that’s comforting in its familiarity and reliability. It’s the sound of Low passing up the opportunity for a twentieth-anniversary blow-out and opting instead for a quiet get-together with old friends.

70
No Ripcord

Hiring Jeff Tweedy to helm The Invisible Way takes Low into a slightly new direction, but still finds them at a happy confluence of beauty and drabness that shows their strengths as versatile, low-key performers. 

70
Consequence of Sound

True to its penchant for understatement, Low has marked two decades and ten albums with a humble, intimate LP.

70
The 405

While half the record has my tongue tangling itself up with rampant hyperbole, there is no shortage of lesser songs here.

65
Paste

If Low is a tricycle, then Invisible Way finds them slowed by one seriously flat tire.

65
Under the Radar

The Invisible Way may be a distillation of previous outings, but the new production style and emphasis on feminine vocals is a welcome change for a group that experienced some growing pains this decade. 

depechemode4lif
73

Even though this is my least favorite so far, it is still a very good solid album. At times a bit too predictable and generic indie folk cliches her and there but overall the vibe is nice and tracks like on my own lift it up quite a bit.

Irissssssssssss
85

Probably one of the weaker releases in their discography, but even then it’s such a wonderful pleasant little folky experience. This is easily their folkiest album yet, with many tracks toeing the line between straight indie folk and slowcore, often with a countryish tinge to it. While the vibe, the emotion and the writing isn’t exactly the strongest, it’s all quite consistent and extremely pleasant throughout, and all is saved on Just Make It Stop, possibly one of ... read more

SlothLord
65

My 4th Low album, I randomly chose to listen to next.

Full of their amazing production and sound throughout, with the first 3 tracks becoming stand out. It does start to teeter off with some really lackluster songwriting as the record goes along that can become noticeable. But, It’s still a gorgeous album.

Irissssssssssss
85

Probably one of the weaker releases in their discography, but even then it’s such a wonderful pleasant little folky experience. This is easily their folkiest album yet, with many tracks toeing the line between straight indie folk and slowcore, often with a countryish tinge to it. While the vibe, the emotion and the writing isn’t exactly the strongest, it’s all quite consistent and extremely pleasant throughout, and all is saved on Just Make It Stop, possibly one of ... read more

kattenbroekcom
63

If Cmon used a lot of variety in it's instrumentation then The Invisible Way is their indie rock and folk completely stripped down and it results into some of their most uninspired and just uninteresting music they've made even if Just Make It Stop is amazing.

halp
80

Low’s folk record.

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Track List

1Plastic Cup
3:00
83
2Amethyst
5:20
79
3So Blue
4:23
79
4Holy Ghost
3:06
78
5Waiting
2:37
72
6Clarence White
3:47
71
7Four Score
2:56
74
8Just Make It Stop
4:08
93
9Mother
2:52
76
10On My Own
5:43
77
11To Our Knees
3:06
77
Total Length: 40 minutes

Year End Lists

#22/musicOMH
#36/MOJO
#41/Uncut
#76/eMusic
#109/Under the Radar
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Added on: November 28, 2012