Retribution Gospel Choir's third album is two songs, 42 minutes long

Photo by Hugh McCabe

Does this look like it's going to be a quiet album?

There's no sense in trying to slow down Alan Sparhawk. Not content to just let the artful majesty of a Jeff Tweedy-produced Low album be the focal point of early 2013, the third full-length Retribution Gospel Choir album is on the way.

The album, titled 3, comes on the heels of this year's The Revolution EP, and judging by what we know about the collection thus far, this could be Sparhawk, bassist Steve Garrington, and drummer/man-about-town Eric "Actual Wolf" Pollard turning the outfit into a wild wonderland of noise and experimentation. And speaking of Wilco collaborations, guitarist Nels Cline is in on the fun too.

See Also:
Low enlist Jeff Tweedy to produce The Invisible Way, release live EP
Retribution Gospel Choir releases free EP (DOWNLOAD)

Retribution gospel choir record announcement coming up this week.Comes out late january on chaperone records.2 songs, 42 minutes.

-- Low(@lowtheband) December 11, 2012

Described by Duluth's Chaperone Records as a "two-song, one-take, full band, blitz," this is the moment of live release that could literally pop a blood vessel in your forehead. From the label site:

1) "Can't Walk Out" is the crown jewel of RGC's recent live sets. The inexplicable power of this repetitive, building, unhinged freakout could only be experienced at an actual RGC show, until now.

2) "Seven" sees the more sprawling side of the band. Haunting, epic, and enhanced throughout by guest guitarist Nels Cline, Seven doesn't hesitate or relent in its delivery of true extemporaneous brilliance.

No release date is listed as of yet, but it might not be a bad idea to circle January 22 and 29 on the calendar. Confirmed! Sparhawk also had this to say this about the album: " A friend of mine used to play Frank Zappa's 'Uncle Meat' at 16 rpm all the time.  How do you recover from that?  You don't."

In related news, Actual Wolf passed along this bit of information related to Sparhawk the workhorse.

We'll be heading into Sacred Heart Studios in Duluth MN in January to begin work on our 1st Full Length Record. We are honored to have Al Sparhawk producing & Jake Larson on engineering duties. Very excited. I'll keep you posted as things develop. It's gonna be an exciting 2013 for Me & the band!

Upcoming Retribution Gospel Choir Live Dates:

December 20 - Turf Club - St. Paul, MN
February 9 - Schuba's Tavern - Chicago, IL
*February 12 - Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY
February 13 - BAR - New Haven, CT
February 14 - DC9 - Washington, DC
February 15 - Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
February 16 - Cactus Club - Milwaukee, WI