Dance Dance Evolution

January 22, 2006

Standing in the Way of Control
The Gossip

Available January 24th, 2006

Back when bassless garage rock bands ruled the earth, the Gossip were my fucking favorite. Down home beats, chunky guitar lines and the pure passion of Beth Ditto’s bluesy vocals made every Gossip track groove with a sweaty swagger. While they’ve always been about getting butts shaking on the floor, their third album finds the band making a stylistic transition in that dancepunk direction. The blues punk fusion is still there, but it’s mixed now with explicitly disco drums.

The first three tracks showcase this newfound formula effectively, featuring clean danceability in their instrumentation and anthemic punk choruses. “Fire With Fire” sounds like a remixed track from The Movement era and the crazed hi-hats of the title track and “Jealous Girls” both have feverish energy. The record starts to break down with “Coals to Diamonds,” a torchy ballad that stretches Ditto’s range. Her performance is wonderful, but the track is repetitive and you get the sense that the band just isn’t ready for this territory. The rest of the album has the same issues, where the bands don’t quite have the chops instrumentally or creatively to fill out these songs. You’ll hear a good hook or the germ of an idea that never really get anywhere.

I can understand the need to move beyond the dirty punk of the previous two records, but as of right now the Gossip are in an awkward state. Changing up drummers has given them another facet, but they’re definitely trying to find themselves again. A lot of the new songs will probably play better live, when the Gossip can ramp up the downstairs basement atmosphere and get the dance party going, but the band will need another record to complete their transformation.

Download:
“Standing In The Way of Control” (mp3)

Posted in From Blown Speakers