4. Secret Name (1999)

The tracks throughout Secret Name are nicely suited to Steve Albini’s hands-off recording acumen — he lends the instrumentation room to breathe, whether it’s the sawing cello on “Starfire,” or the Mellotron on the wobbly “Missouri,” or the static-laden buzz loop rendering “I Remember” hazily disorienting, suggesting that Sparhawk’s memory may be deceiving him as he intones, “No they couldn’t believe it was you/ I knew.” But ultimately, this is one of Low’s most assured efforts, and when Sparhawk harmonizes with Parker on the gentle, shuffling “Immune,” “Tell me is the time as slow/ Only when your eyes are closed,” he encapsulates what’s so great about Low. Their ballads at their best, much like those of the greats from Neil Young to Leonard Cohen, seem to make time stop, the moment frozen in amber.