Seriously you guys, how awesome was Raising Sand? From the delicate harmonies to the tasteful T-Bone Burnett production to the impeccable song selection, the 2007 Robert Plant/Alison Krauss collab was an instant dinner party classic. Who knew that Plant, the legendary stadium rock lothario, could pull off such impassioned, interprative lead vocals without even a smidgen of Boomer nostalgia?
Well, Plant says it’s time for a follow-up, and from the looks of it, Krauss and Burnett are both out. (Boo.) But the obscure cover choices remain! (Yay!)
Much like he did for Byrds co-founder Gene Clark on Sand (by covering not one but two long-lost gems: “Polly” and “Through the Morning, Through the Night”), Plant will use his upcoming Band of Joy to highlight the work of yet another cult favorite, this time the Duluth, Minnesota-based, Mormon-yet-hella-indie husband and wife slowcore dreamteam of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker, otherwise known as Low.
Plant is slated to croon along with “Monkey” and “Silver Rider”, both from Low’s 2005 Sub Pop debut, The Great Destroyer. While I personally wish he would have reached further back to the 2001 Steve Albini-helmed masterpiece Things We Lost in the Fire, I’m perfectly excited to see what Plant does with these two. “Silver Rider”, especially, is one of the best tracks Sparhawk and Parker have ever written, and it’s great to see it finally getting its due.
Thanks to the A.V. Club for the tip.
Your Vinyl Cousin 
i’m a big fan of Low and Plant so this was exciting news. but i’ve just listened to them and they follow in a long tradition of competent cover versions whereby they are performed and arranged almost the same as the originals but not quite so well. i don’t get it, what’s the point?
Thanks for commenting! I agree 100%. The Low covers are crap. The arrangements are really just recreations of Alan and Mimi’s guitar and drum style, only with added guitars and effects to fill in the spaces, which does the ultimate disservice to the minimalist aesthetic anyway. (And don’t get me started about the chorus on “Silver Rider”: a breathtaking climax of sound on the original, brought down to a limp wheeze by Plant + Griffin.) Still, I have yet to find one review that doesn’t kiss Plant’s ass over his song choices. Every article is mainly about how cool and non-nostalgic Plant is and how well his voice has held up. I agree with those things, but let’s have an honest assessment of the music!