5. The Invisible Way (2013)

“Oh time, it pulls out your eyes/ It makes you choose between two lines,” Alan Sparhawk sings on “Amethyst,” a standout track from Low’s 10th and most recent album The Invisible Way. A stark meditation on aging and mortality, the track encapsulates much of what’s so irresistible about not just this album but Low as a band. The Invisible Way is something of a departure, as it features Parker on vocals for the bulk of the tracks. Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy provides tasteful production embellishments, emphasizing the songwriting strengths of the band, as on the Tin Pan Alley piano surge of “So Blue,” and the sprightly Laurel Canyon delight of “Just Make It Stop.” Sparhawk sings lead on the affecting “Mother,” returning to a motif prevalent in Low’s vernacular — the inevitable passage of time. He warmly assures over delicate acoustic guitar and supple piano accompaniment, “Deep beneath the surface of the earth/ So many bodies waiting for the word when every child and mother will return forever/ We’ll have time.” The sentiment’s not in the least bit baleful, just pragmatic, offering equanimity. Dark subject matters proliferate as always on Low’s albums, but it’s this element of hope that guides this superb album like a beacon from a lighthouse.