(Caldo Verde) www.caldoverderecords.com

The whispering slowcore of early Low evolved gradually since Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker began the band in the early nineties, and recent albums, 2005’s The Great Destroyer in particular, have offered glimpses of volume and heft. But Sparhawk’s Retribution Gospel Choir—a trio with drummer Eric Pollard and Low bassist Matt Livingston—is a far cry from his understated work with his wife. Produced by Mark Kozelek, the self-titled album is hard-edged and flirts with monochromatism, its predominantly minor-key chording oftentimes discordant and messy. It revels in distorted guitars that ring with reverb or buzz and crackle with feedback, as if Sparhawk had gone on a steady diet of Neil Young’s Tonight’s The Night and Zuma and thrown in a Dinosaur Jr album or two for a diversion. The singing tends to make a gloomily imagistic single lyrical point and then move on, although those songs that break the mold and are actually catchy in a still-dark way (“For Her Blood,” “Kids”) are the best. RGC is loud and powerful, but it’s notable less for what it is—weighty stoner-rock—than what it’s not—a Low album.

Standout Tracks: “For Her Blood,” “Kids” STEVE KLINGE & STEVEN ROSEN