Retribution Gospel Choir - The Stone (Revolution!)

What this video is

Released March 2012 during the height of blog-era indie music culture, 'The Stone (Revolution!)' video arrived as a free-download EP companion on Sub Pop Records — itself a signal of the era's shift toward streaming/download accessibility as promotional strategy. Retribution Gospel Choir operated as a high-energy counterpoint to the slowcore minimalism of Sparhawk's primary band Low, and this video's comedic…

Why it matters

The video documents a key transitional moment in Retribution Gospel Choir's discography — their pivot toward a 'retro-tinged' harder rock sound described by critics as moving 'in an exciting, new direction, at speed.' As a self-directed band video, it also exemplifies the early-2010s…

The director

Alan Sparhawk is the guitarist, vocalist, and primary creative force behind both Low (Duluth, MN slowcore/indie rock band, formed 1993) and Retribution Gospel Choir (formed 2005). Sparhawk is recognized as a foundational figure in the slowcore and Midwest…