Retribution Gospel Choir (album)

Last updated
Retribution Gospel Choir
Artist RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR album RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 18, 2008
May 20, 2008 (vinyl)
RecordedHyde Street Studios, San Francisco, California
Genre Alternative rock
Length30:13
Label Caldo Verde Records
Producer Mark Kozelek
Retribution Gospel Choir chronology
Retribution Gospel Choir
(2008)
2
(2010)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Retribution Gospel Choir is the eponymous debut album from the American musical group band Retribution Gospel Choir, led by Alan Sparhawk of the band Low. The album was released in the US on March 18, 2008, through Mark Kozelek's Caldo Verde Records. Kozelek also produced the album.

Contents

According to the Caldo Verde website, the album is a major shift from the slow, minimalist music of Low:

Low visionary Alan Sparhawk cranks the amps for a radical stylistic departure. Crude, mangy guitars collide with trudging stoner-rock rhythms and some catchy melodies -- for modern-day spirituals that defy all preconceptions. [2]

The first 1,000 copies pressed came with a 4 track bonus disc, titled RGC DUB, featuring untitled dub recordings. This version was only available through the Caldo Verde Records website link. The album was also pressed on limited edition vinyl in May 2008 and sold exclusively through Aural Exploits' website. The songs "Take Your Time" and "Breaker" first appeared on the Low album Drums and Guns in 2007 but were originally Retribution Gospel Choir songs.

Track listing

All songs written by Alan Sparhawk.

  1. "They Knew You Well" - 3:41
  2. "Take Your Time" - 4:06
  3. "Breaker" - 2:06
  4. "Somebody's Someone" - 2:56
  5. "Destroyer" - 3:33
  6. "Holes in Our Heads" - 2:59
  7. "What She Turned Into" - 2:22
  8. "For Her Blood" - 2:10
  9. "Kids" - 4:06
  10. "Easy Prey" - 2:14

RGC DUB: bonus disc

  1. "(Untitled)" - 6:52
  2. "(Untitled)" - 6:42
  3. "(Untitled)" - 4:21
  4. "(Untitled)" - 12:48

Musicians

Label

Caldo Verde Records Catalog#: 14064 Format: CD, Vinyl, Limited Edition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Kil Moon</span> American folk rock act

Sun Kil Moon is an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, founded in 2002. Initially a continuation of the defunct indie rock band Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon is now the primary recording moniker of vocalist and guitarist Mark Kozelek. The project is named after the Korean super flyweight boxer Sung-Kil Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Kozelek</span> Musical artist

Mark Edward Kozelek is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and occasional actor. He is known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and founding member of the indie rock band Red House Painters, with whom he recorded six studio albums from 1988 until 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low (band)</span> American indie rock group

Low was an American indie rock band from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993 by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker. The band was a trio from 1993 to 2020, having featured four different bassists. Low disbanded following the death of Parker in 2022.

Caldo Verde Records is a San Francisco–based indie rock and folk record label founded by Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek in 2005. The label primarily features releases by Kozelek and Sun Kil Moon, but has also released albums by Jesu, Corrina Repp, Retribution Gospel Choir, and Kath Bloom. Photographer Nyree Watts is the commissioned artist for Caldo Verde, as almost all of the releases on the label feature her photography.

<i>April</i> (Sun Kil Moon album) 2008 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

April is the third studio album by American folk rock band Sun Kil Moon, released in the US on April 1, 2008 through Caldo Verde Records, and on April 18, 2008 in Japan via P-Vine Records. The album was recorded at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco and Well Recording in Seattle during a seven-month stretch from spring to late summer in 2007. The album was produced and written by Mark Kozelek. Will Oldham, Ben Gibbard and Eric Pollard lend their backing vocals throughout the album. The album also comes with a bonus disc of four alternate recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retribution Gospel Choir</span>

Retribution Gospel Choir is an indie rock band based in Duluth, Minnesota. Current members of the band include Alan Sparhawk and Steve Garrington (bass), both of whom are also in the band Low, and Eric Pollard. Despite sharing the majority of their members, RGC's high-energy performance differs greatly from Low's subdued, minimalist feel.

<i>The Finally LP</i> 2008 compilation album by Mark Kozelek

The Finally LP is a compilation album by Mark Kozelek. The CD was released on December 9, 2008 via Caldo Verde Records. From the press release:

Over the years, Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and his earlier band, Red House Painters, has gained well deserved praise for his extraordinary songwriting. At the same time, he has developed a parallel reputation for his unique covers of other people's material. Many of these tracks were recorded for tribute albums that are now unavailable. Caldo Verde Records has now collected them in a cohesive, 10-song CD titled The Finally LP.

<i>7 Songs Belfast</i> 2008 EP by Mark Kozelek

7 Songs Belfast is a live EP by Mark Kozelek. The limited edition CD was made available in July 2008, as a free gift with any order of a CD, t-shirt or vinyl record purchased via Caldo Verde Records' website. Starting from September 1, 2008, the EP was made available as a digital download. Tracks 1-6 were recorded live at the Blackbox in Belfast on November 4, 2007, and track 7 was recorded live at the Dancehouse Theatre in Manchester on October 30, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red House Painters</span> American rock band

Red House Painters were an American rock band formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1988, before relocating to San Francisco, California. They were one of the most prominent acts associated with the slowcore/sadcore subgenre. The band was formed by primary songwriter Mark Kozelek and drummer Anthony Koutsos. Together, the pair moved to San Francisco, California, where they were joined by bassist Jerry Vessel. Guitarists Gorden Mack and Phil Carney both performed with the band during separate six-year tenures.

<i>Lost Verses Live</i> 2009 live album by Mark Kozelek

Lost Verses Live is the second of two live albums released in spring 2009 by Mark Kozelek. Lost Verses Live was released on May 12, 2009. A limited edition vinyl pressing includes the exclusive live bonus tracks "I Am a Rock," "Last Tide," and "Floating," and was released in October 2009. The album was recorded live throughout solo tour dates in 2007 and 2008 in intimate, seated settings such as The First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and the Aladdin Theatre in Portland. Mark was accompanied by guitarist Phil Carney across the set.

<i>2</i> (Retribution Gospel Choir album) 2010 studio album by Retribution Gospel Choir

2 is the second studio album from the American musical group Retribution Gospel Choir, led by Alan Sparhawk of the band Low. It was released on January 26, 2010, in the US and February 8, 2010, in the UK on the Sub Pop Records label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Eyed Snakes</span>

The Black-eyed Snakes is an American blues rock band from Duluth, Minnesota. Since releasing their debut album "It's the Black-eyed Snakes" in 2001, the band has toured the U.S., including with Charlie Parr, among others. Front man Alan Sparhawk also performs with Low and Retribution Gospel Choir.

<i>Admiral Fell Promises</i> 2010 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

Admiral Fell Promises is the fourth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on July 13, 2010 on Caldo Verde Records. Despite being released under the Sun Kil Moon moniker, the album features Mark Kozelek performing solo on acoustic nylon-string guitar. Along with the standard CD release, the album was also released on vinyl in October 2010, which includes liner notes, lyrics, and two bonus tracks recorded live in Saint-Malo, France.

<i>Among the Leaves</i> 2012 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

Among the Leaves is the fifth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on May 29, 2012 on Caldo Verde Records. Similar to Sun Kil Moon's previous studio album, Admiral Fell Promises (2010), the album is predominantly performed by founding member Mark Kozelek on a nylon-string guitar.

<i>Like Rats</i> 2013 studio album by Mark Kozelek

Like Rats is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, released on February 19, 2013 on Caldo Verde Records. Self-produced by Kozelek, the album is a collection of acoustic cover songs.

<i>Perils from the Sea</i> 2013 studio album by Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle

Perils from the Sea is a collaborative studio album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek and multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle, released on April 30, 2013 on Caldo Verde Records.

<i>Live at Phoenix Public House Melbourne</i> 2013 live album by Mark Kozelek

Live at Phoenix Public House Melbourne is a live album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, released on February 19, 2013 on Caldo Verde Records. Recorded on June 11, 2012, and released on the same day as Kozelek's covers album, Like Rats (2013), the album predominantly features tracks from the then-recently released Sun Kil Moon album, Among the Leaves (2012).

<i>Jesu/Sun Kil Moon</i> 2016 studio album by Jesu and Sun Kil Moon

Jesu / Sun Kil Moon is a collaborative studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and British experimental act Jesu, released on January 21, 2016 on Caldo Verde Records and Rough Trade. The album also features guest musicians Will Oldham, members of Low, Rachel Goswell of Slowdive, and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. Jesu and Sun Kil Moon including drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth played six shows in February and March 2016 to support the album.

<i>Yellow Kitchen</i> 2017 studio album by Mark Kozelek & Sean Yeaton

Yellow Kitchen is a collaboration album between American musician and singer Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Sean Yeaton, bassist of Parquet Courts, released on June 30, 2017 by Caldo Verde Records, though available for streaming shortly prior to that. Kozelek and Yeaton met at a Dutch festival in summer 2016, and recorded and self-produced Yellow Kitchen from December 2016 to May 2017 in the United States. Guest appearances on the album include Steve Shelley and Jim White on drums and Holly Throsby and Will Oldham on vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actual Wolf</span> American drummer

Eric Pollard, known professionally as Actual Wolf, is an American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist best known for his instrumental work in Retribution Gospel Choir, Sun Kil Moon, Low and as the leader and songwriter for his eponymous band Actual Wolf.

References