Seeing Nothing But Blue Sky Shining On My Soul

I am heartbroken to read that Mimi Parker has passed at the age of 55, just under two years after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Singer, songwriter, drummer and co-founder of Low, Mimi's contribution to the band and music as a whole cannot be adequately expressed. 

Mimi's voice is beautiful, sweet, gentle, achingly melancholic when the song calls for it and, paired with husband Alan Sparhawk, an emotionally charged, soul-stirring harmonious sound seemingly not of this world. Mimi and Alan's acoustic cover of Bee Gees' I Started A Joke from 2008 is as good an example of this as any.

I have a dozen Low albums (a couple are technically mini-albums), from 1996's third album The Curtain Hits The Cast to 2018's Double Negative. I've been meaning to get last year's album Hey What for some time and I had also been hoping to see Low at Komedia in Bath on 15th November. Mimi had shared her diagnosis in January this year and in August, the band cancelled their planned tour as "Recent developments and changes in treatment have made extensive travel impossible at this time".

 

On Sunday, Alan posted the following message on Low's official Twitter:

 

Friends, it’s hard to put the universe into language and into a short message, but 

 

She passed away last night, surrounded by family and love, including yours. Keep her name close and sacred. Share this moment with someone who needs you. 

 

Love is indeed the most important thing.

 

I'm still trying to process the sad news but a couple of Mimi's performances immediately came to me. I remember seeing Low on Later With...Jools Holland but I hadn't realised that it was nearly a decade ago, promoting 2013's album The Invisible Way. It was the first of only two appearances on the show, including this version of Just Make It Stop, featuring Mimi on lead vocals.

 

The first song I ever heard by Low was the opening song of their 1999 mini-album, Christmas, a five-second shuffling beat and jingle bells before Mimi's angelic voice comes in. Just Like Christmas has been a festive staple at Casa K ever since and is one of my favourite Christmas songs of all. 

There are few live performances of the song available on YouTube, but this is a wonderful version from Low's "Christmas Tour" show at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon in 2010, the day after I turned 40.

Rest in peace, Mimi, you will always be loved.