Mimi Parker RIP

I was dumbstruck this evening by the devastating news that Mimi Parker has died.  I hadn't heard about her cancer diagnosis, which she made public a little over half a year ago.  

I was lucky to see Low a few times, and it is a singular experience to watch a band play in front of a completely silent crowd.  The lightest brush of a snare drum, pluck of a guitar string, or deep breath between phrases could be easily heard.  Amidst such suspended tension, even a voice as gentle as Mimi's would cut through the air and chill your bones.  I recall some controversy around the release of "The Great Destroyer", some fans were upset that Mimi didn't have a solo performance.  I couldn't understand the complaints, because for me she is everywhere on that album, her voice together with Alan's form a special timbre that no other group could replicate. 

Over the last few years, and even against the expectations of many of their fans, Low hit a critical and artistic peak.  Mimi had been the angelic voice fronting the band's most tender moments, and there are too many to mention: "Two Step", "Lazer Beam", "In Metal".  On their last two albums, it turned out that she was equally talented at vocalizing the soundtrack to nihilistic chaos, technological confusion, and extreme political uncertainty.