Alan
Sparhawk's main project, the Duluth slowcore trio Low, has cranked up the
volume and feedback so much over its last couple of albums that Sparhawk's
raucous side projects Black Eyed Snakes and Retribution Gospel Choir aren't as
much of a surprise as they once were. Looking back, they now seem like ways for
Sparhawk to experiment with new sounds before committing himself to adding them
into the Low recipe. But there's still lots of ground to explore with
RGC—he's able to go even further out into louder, harder-rocking
territory, and he sounds as comfortable there as he ever did in Low's quiet,
still spaces.