Short Biography
Marked by sparse instrumentation, a relaxed tempo and striking vocal harmonies, the music of Low first captivated listeners with the band's debut release, I Could Live in Hope, in 1994. The follow-up, Long Division, appeared in 1995, adding a post-punk flavor to the group's elegantly minimal songs. Low reached a wider audience with the 1996 release of their album The Curtain Hits the Cast, and in 1999 they explored more diverse instrumentation on the album Secret Name, adding piano, timpani and a string section to the mix. In 2000, Low had a hit with their rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy," which appeared in a holiday TV commercial for Gap. 2001 saw the release of Things We Lost in...

Short Biography
Marked by sparse instrumentation, a relaxed tempo and striking vocal harmonies, the music of Low first captivated listeners with the band's debut release, I Could Live in Hope, in 1994. The follow-up, Long Division, appeared in 1995, adding a post-punk flavor to the group's elegantly minimal songs. Low reached a wider audience with the 1996 release of their album The Curtain Hits the Cast, and in 1999 they explored more diverse instrumentation on the album Secret Name, adding piano, timpani and a string section to the mix. In 2000, Low had a hit with their rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy," which appeared in a holiday TV commercial for Gap. 2001 saw the release of Things We Lost in the Fire, hailed by many critics as one of the year's best releases and featuring guest appearances from Marc D'Gli Antoni of Soul Coughing and Shellac members Daniel Huffman and Ida Pearle. This was followed by 2002's Trust and a more up-tempo, wide-ranging album, The Great Destroyer, in 2005. 

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In-depth Biography
Formed in Duluth, MN, in 1993, Low was perhaps the slowest of the so-called "slowcore" bands -- delicate, austere, and hypnotic, the trio's music rarely rose above a whisper, divining its dramatic tension in the unsettling open spaces created by the absence of sound. Initially comprising the husband and wife team of guitarist/vocalist Alan Sparhawk and drummer/vocalist Mimi Parker along with bassist John Nichols, Low began as an experimental reaction to the predominance of grunge; Shimmy Disc producer Kramer soon invited the group to record at his Noise N.J. studios, and the resulting demos earned them a deal with the Vernon Yard label.

After re-entering the studio with Kramer, Low emerged with their 1994 debut, I Could Live in Hope, a beautiful set spotlighting the trio's hauntingly minimal aesthetic -- even Parker's drum set consisted only of a snare and a hi-hat. Nichols exited the group prior to 1995's lovely Long Division, recorded with new bassist Zak Sally; a subsequent appearance on the Joy Division tribute A Means to an End was later expanded into the following year's Transmission EP, a five-track set also featuring a rendition of Supreme Dicks' "Jack Smith." With new producer Steve Fisk, Low returned later in 1996 with The Curtain Hits the Cast. The Songs for a Dead Pilot EP followed in 1997 and marked their debut for Kranky, where they released such critically acclaimed albums as 1999's Secret Name and 2001's Things We Lost in the Fire. The late '90s also saw them issue Owl (Low Remixes) and the Christmas mini-album, which featured a cover of "Little Drummer Boy" that became a minor hit when it was featured in The Gap's holiday season commercials in 2000. The band's brilliant Things We Lost in the Fire arrived in 2001, with the darker, more subdued Trust coming the following year. Two years later, the B-sides/rare tracks collection A Lifetime of Temporary Relief appeared on Low's own Chairkickers Music imprint. For their seventh full-length album, 2005's The Great Destroyer, the group moved to Sub Pop. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide