Retribution Gospel Choir: S/T

There's a part of me that kind of wants to hate the Retribution Gospel Choir. It's a much less substantial Alan Sparhawk live project compared to The Black Eyed Snakes. In fact, the band is basically Low without Mimi and with a different drummer. And two of the best songs on this album are also Low songs. And I really miss The Black Eyed Snakes, and it doesn't look like they're coming back anytime soon. It also doesn't help that this album just doesn't sound as good as the two Black Eyed Snakes albums or any Low albums.

But that's about as far as my complaints with this album go. Clocking in close to 30 minutes, there is not enough time to find much to complain about here. With the Retribution Gospel Choir, Alan Sparhawk has created his most straightforward rock project to date. As a three piece consisting of guitar, bass and drums, The Retribution Gospel Choir deliver 2-4 minute powerful rock songs. Two of the album's strongest moments are re-worked Low songs. Both "Breaker" and "Take Your Time" fit the rock format better than the more challenging approach of Low's last album Drums and Guns.

But not all of the album's strong moments are re-worked Low songs. "Destroyer" and "Holes in our Heads" are also similarly dark and powerful rock songs. "Holes in our Heads" features some really nice guitar playing at the end, further reminding me why Alan Sparhawk is one of my favorite guitarists of all time.

For the most part, this album sticks to gloomy territory. Most of the songs are about as bleak as the material on the last Low album, but with programmed beats, guitar loops and pianos being replaced by a straight-forward rock set up, the anger and despair of "Breaker" comes through even more strongly here. But it's not all gloom and doom on this album; "Hatchet" (also appropriated from Low) and "Easy Prey" are pleasant upbeat rock songs that don't really do anything new or interesting, but still manage to entertain.

With 30% of the material recycled from the last Low album and only one band member who doesn't play with Low, Retribution Gospel Choir feels more like an Alan Sparhawk solo project than an actual new band. Some of these songs would not work with Low, and I'm glad he cared about them enough to record them and tour with them. And given how well both of his recent side projects have worked, I've started wondering if Low is holding Sparhawk back. I wonder if he'd make better music if he didn't confine himself to the name and the band which doesn't allow him the range that he seems so clearly capable of. But so far he hasn't released a disappointing album, so why should I complain?