Feb 19 2010 11:11 am,
Retribution Gospel Choir
‘2’
(Sub Pop!)
Low are a bleak bunch. Alan Sparhawk’s full-time band have a musical mirth-o-meter that swings madly from Hushed to Howling, whilst Al himself is like a bi-polar warmonger, one minute miserable that nobody loves him, the next jabbing the Big Red Button so he can watch the world burn. By comparison, the second album from his Retribution Gospel Choir side-project is a cheery grin and a breezy wave. The chorus to ‘Hide It Away’ is almost euphoric and pop enough to soundtrack a montage on a cooking programme, whilst ‘Workin’ Hard’ might as well be Weezer. Sure, it still smoulders with the mirth of an axe murderer looking to unburden his insatiable thirst for vengeance, but it’s catchy, like.
JJ Dunning
