Sweet Chariots

"Recently we've been playing some songs we haven't played for a long time," Sparhawk says. "It's just so funny how different my perspective is ... everybody thinks they get wiser and wiser as time goes by. But I'm perfectly happy looking back."

And with that retrospection comes the knowledge that things are much better now than they were last spring. "It's been a funky year," Sparhawk says, "with Zak leaving and my own shenanigans and whatnot."

Sparhawk, in his charming, self-deprecating way, is cautiously optimistic. He says he doesn't know what shape the next Low album will take, but he, Parker and Livingston have been trying out different things. "Right now, we need to go play some shows and do the best we can and see what our kids think," Sparhawk says. "Life is moving along. I think the future right now looks hopeful."

This sense of hope, tempered with reality, permeates The Great Destroyer and puts a cheerful lilt in Sparhawk's voice. These days — with a healthy young family and the support of thousands of fans — the Low frontman is leaving last year's darkness behind. Winter, it seems, is finally over.

Additional reporting by Annie Zaleski.