MUSIC A new high for rock band Low

The group has signed a recording contract with Sub Pop.
By ROSS RAIHALA
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
If Low were like most bands, it would have quietly disappeared after being dropped by Virgin Records subsidiary Vernon Yard in 1996.
Instead, the Duluth, Minn., trio continued to record and actually got better, releasing a series of albums on Chicago-based indie Kranky Records, including 2001's "Things We Lost in the Fire," to nearly universal acclaim.
And now, 10 years after its debut, Low has signed a new deal with Seattle's Sub Pop Records. Low's new album, "The Great Destroyer," hits stores in January.
"It all happened pretty organically," says bass player Zak Sally who, unlike his bandmates, lives in Minneapolis. "We had a new record, and we had a different feel for it. We were very happy at Kranky -- they're good friends of ours with more integrity than most people. We just wanted to investigate other possibilities."
And as it turns out, Sub Pop wanted to get into the Low business. The label had already released a one-off Low single in 1997. Sub Pop head honcho Jonathan Poneman personally pursued Low once he heard the band was in the market for a new home.
"We've all been fans of them for a really long time," says Chris Jacobs, the band's A & amp;R rep at Sub Pop. "And [the new record] is thoroughly impressive. We're very enthused by it."
Surprising sound
Part of that enthusiasm has to do with what Jacobs called the "almost pop songs" on "The Great Destroyer." While Low has experimented with its sound in the past, it is still largely known as a band that plays very slowly and very quietly. The new album may surprise some listeners.
"I think this record is the finest example of us trusting what we do and letting it happen rather than trying to question it," says Sally. "In the past, if there was a song that truly needed to rock, we would have been nervous about it. I think we've learned enough to just let a song be what it will be."
The group's planning to mount a tour in the new year to promote "The Great Destroyer." And it'll have a new tourmate in tow named Cyrus, the newly born son of Low's other two members, Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. Like the couple's daughter Hollis, Cyrus will tour with the group.
"It's really nice to have someone like Hollis along [on tour] who doesn't really care about rock at all," says Sally.
"I would consider Hollis one of my best friends. If everybody is annoying you, you can just sit down with her and read her a book. She'll laugh -- it's great."