Retribution Gospel Choir – The Revolution EP

Retribution Gospel Choir (RGC) is fronted by Alan Sparhawk of the indie incredible band Low. But don’t get your hopes up just yet. RGC, one of the worst band names of recent times, has released an underwhelming four song EP on Sub Pop records that is soon to disappear into Internet obscurity.

On the EP’s opening track, “Feel It, Superior,” Sparhawk sings over noise that he wants to “feel it now,” a sentiment strangely reflected by the listener. Between the four tracks there is a lot of unnecessary noise and ubiquitous talks of a revolution, especially on the Huey Lewis sounding “The Stone (Revolution!)” that just ends without much fan fair.

“Maharisha” is another bombastic tune that is punctuated by a Def Leppard cowbell that is as dated and stale as the lyrics that announce, “they said you went to the Promised Land” and “you gotta figure it out.” Believe it or not, there is a shelf life for lyrics, and sometimes silence is as loud as redundant phrases.

Surprisingly enough, the EP ends on a brief but raucous note. The drum-driven track, “Im a Man” sheds the silly retro sound and wasted lyrics and gets down to honest emotions and heart-felt instrumentation. If only the rest of the EP could have sounded so convincing and honest.

I’m always unsure why bands even bother to release such a brief album/EP. In RGB’s case, maybe the majority of the songs could’ve been adjusted and manipulated at a later date to create a stronger sound for a full-length release. Maybe the horned-rimmed hipsters at Sub-Pop prodded RGB to release something they could sell. That said, The Revolution EP sounds like a noisy sketch of inferior songs quickly released to have a shiny product promoted by Sub Pop. I haven’t given up on RGB. I’m still waiting to see how this new sound translates on a full-length release.