Live music is important. Records are great (obviously) because they allow for the mass distribution of art. But. There’s no perfect substitute for a really good live show. At their best, records are (often) just pale imitations of live music. There are artists who subvert that notion and are still wildly successful (Grizzly Bear comes to mind. They’re not known as a crack live act, perhaps because of the high level of production and attention to fine detail the records.), but I most often gravitate to bands that shine in both forums. Give me a band that works the interplay of live and recorded music and songs that can exist as both recorded artifacts and as live organisms . Megafaun’s “Columns” sounds killer on the album, but it’s at least 20% better live. You could live with only hearing the album version of MMJ’s “Run Thru,” but you’d prefer the live version of it every single time. “Dark Star” was originally a two minute single, but that’s largely irrelevant right? When we were compiling our 2009 year end list, I found myself consistently gravitating towards acts that both made records I loved and backed those records up with excellent live shows. Those kinds of bands make the most sense for me.
All this to introduce the second album and recent live show from Retribution Gospel Choir. The trio, fronted by Alan Spearhawk of Low fame, release their sophmore effort, 2, January 26 on Sub Pop. They’re also touring and were in Cleveland on Friday. The songs on 2 vacillate between an airy, traditional rock vibe (most notably on “Hide it Away” and “Workin’ Hard,” both of which almost sound like Kansas b-sides (which is intended as a compliment)) and much hairier, distortion-laden crunchy jams (most notably, “Poor Man’s Daughter” and “Electric Guitar”). Listening through the record, I incorrectly focused on the “Workin’ Hard” facet; I thought I’d be seeing a band that was toeing the mainstream, working in mostly traditional idioms. I should have been listening to the epic “Poor Man’s Daughter,” which, if the live show is accurate, is more indicative of what Retribution Gospel Choir is about. I did not really understand the record until I saw the band live; I couldn’t decide what components were critical and which were decorative. I though that the feedback workouts were the supporting concepts, serving to highlight the hooks. The live show was an inversion of that calculation; the songs served as platforms for the band to explode outward from.
Discussion of the live show, and the record itself, can center on the four songs mentioned above. Retribution Gospel Choir played the more direct songs, “Hide it Away” and “Workin’ Hard” and fleshed out the sound extant on 2. The backing vocal work of drummer Eric Pollard was particularly striking live, acting as a perfect counterpoint to Spearhawk’s more visceral growl. Both songs sounded great live, at least in part because all three members of the band are immensely talented. When Spearhawk solos, you pay attention. Pollard’s work on the kit was muscular and precise and Steve Garrington both plays a mean bass and has a killer bass face. Throw that sort of talent at what are, essentially, good radio songs and things work out. The show’s highlights, however, were on the songs that are rougher around the edges; my mom would love “Workin’ Hard,” she might chafe a bit at “Electric Guitar.” (For the record, that’s not intended pejoratively, just to highlight that Retribution Gospel Choir can work the catchy end of the spectrum as well as the experimental one.) The centerpiece of the record and the show is “Poor Man’s Daughter.” Live, this thing is a psychedelic monster, the band stretching out during the middle section and laying waste to everything in sight. Spearhawk played a facemelting solo, hammering out huge, distorted riffs and playing for an extended period with his mouth. (I’ve seen that work exactly one other time in my life. Most of the time when a guitar player goes for the mouth play, it comes off as cheesy and/or contrived. Alan Spearhawk, on the other hand, played his ax with his mouth as naturally and competently as most of us tie our shoes. It was sweet. The other time I saw it work was when Cleveland’s own Glen Schwartz did it, so Spearhawk is in select company.) The same solo is impressive on the record, but live it’s life altering. Rob and I were transfixed; if I didn’t have unalterable other plans, I would have gone to Pittsburgh on Saturday, hoping to see the solo from “Poor Man’s Daughter” again. At the end of the song, everything drops out, leaving Spearhawk and Pollard harmonizing over the last few lines in front of a spare guitar part. On the record, it’s startling. Live, with the band dripping in sweat, the audience swaying in stunned amazement and everyone’s ears humming, that shift into the quiet was goosebump raising. “Electric Guitar” was as good; for a moment, Rob and I thought we heard the beginning of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” but it never materialized. That’s the first time that wasn’t dissapointed that a band didn’t cover Floyd. (That’s tortured syntax, but you probably got the message.)
The band closed with “Take Your Time” from their first record. Rob grabbed video, which should convince you to catch Retribution Gospel Choir if you’re not already sold. The record, 2, is a solid substitute if the band isn’t coming close to your house. If they’re in the neighborhood, make the trip. The live show makes the record better and vice versa. I’ll be listening to “Poor Man’s Daughter” a lot over the next several months; show or no show, you will be as well.
