9th January 2010

Audio

Retribution Gospel Choir - Hide it Away
2 (Sub Pop)

The press sheet that came with this record is three paragraphs long.  The lead paragraph is about what great athletes the band is.  What the fuck?  This is the first sentence of the whole sheet, which I think, in theory, is supposed to make me want to listen to the album: “The most important thing to know about the rock trio Retribution Gospel Choir is that they are likely the most physically fit band on Earth.”

Honestly, if I hadn’t already enjoyed their self-titled debut, I would probably have thrown this whole package out after reading that.  Lucky for me and you, I knew that there was a reason to listen.

Retribution Gospel Choir - which, by the way, includes Alan Sparhawk from Low - is all about epic pop tunes, covered in distortion.  Imagine a cross between Dinosaur Jr. and U2 (if U2 was any good), and you might have a good idea what to expect.  Actually, if I were to go on a mission to teach people how to love Dinosaur Jr., (which I’m this close to doing), I might recommend this group as a primer.  It’s just a bit more accessible, with it’s harmonies and often flowery sound, but still has a good bit of sludge and screamin’ guitars to get things moving.

In all, 2 is a pretty good record, though I would probably recommend the self-titled record before it.

That press sheet is still retarded. But then again, maybe I’m just missing the obvious musical importance of being able to “destroy any other band in a 10k race, and then still do the gig.”

Tagged: back from the deadly