Low - ‘The Invisible Way’ + Lion’s Tail
Ingredients: 2 ounces bourbon whiskey, 1/2 ounce pimento dram, 1/2 ounce lime juice, 1 teaspoon simple syrup, 1 dash Angostura bitters
Mixing Instructions: Mix ingredients in cocktail shaker half-filled with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a a chilled cocktail glass. (via Cafe Royal Cocktail Book)
Notes: The simple fact that Low’s 10th album was produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy was enough to rouse me from my slumber and give it a spin. Thankfully, the music is good. Maybe it’s the fact that in 20 years playing together the Duluth-based indie band has well over the requisite 10,000 hours and has morphed miraculously into a single entity, but the whole thing feels effortless. Mimi Parker leads on nearly half the album and tugs at the soul in much the same way Heartless Bastards’ Erika Wennerstrom does with a powerful, melancholy voice. Songs like “So Blue” and “Waiting” contain the ingredients that carry much of the album, sparse instrumentation that combined with the vocals create a sound that is surprisingly full. Make a Lion’s Tail cocktail, put this album on after dinner and enjoy a band that truly understands their sound.