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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gossip Is Good For You, 22 Jun 2009
Gossip is a band. That's the main message here. A manifesto.
Ms Ditto has been clear in recent interviews that it's not
all about her. An impressive black and white portrait of
stunningly androgynous drummer Ms Billie gets the front page.
The symbolically/symbiotically cloned Paine/Ditto image, however,
is relegated to the backside but bears clear witness to their long
friendship and increasingly fruitful musical collaboration.
2006's breakthrough album 'Standing In The Way Of Control' paved
the way - 'Music For Men' takes a winning formula and pushes it
further with even greater clarity and energy.
In no small measure the vivid realisation of these 12 new songs
(+ 2 remixes) succeeds due to Mr Rubin's masterful production.
He brings out the best in all three band members.
Ms Ditto has never sounded better. Her unique and instantly
recognisable voice (with its wonderfully wayward tendencies)
has greater power and focus than ever before.
Mr Paine and Ms Billie provide solid support throughout
but we are left in little doubt, despite their best intentions
to persuade us, that Ms Ditto is indisputably the star of the show.
....and what a great show it is !!
From the four-square blues stomp of opening track 'Dimestore Diamond'
to the post-post-punk rollicking ride of 'Spare Me From The Mold'
( with Mr Nielsen's silly sax adding to the mayhem ) we know we are
in the presence of a great little band firing on all six cylinders.
There's no waste here. It's all good. It doesn't let up for a moment.
'Men In Love', 'Heavy Cross' and 'Four Letter Word', with its
grungy synthesiser arrangement, are all standout tracks.
Finely honed, consumately executed, elemental rock
played straight from the heart. Truly stonking stuff!
Highly Recommended.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Music for Everyone, 22 Jun 2009
Love her or hate her it can't be denied that Beth Ditto is a force of nature and a track like `Standing in the Way of Control' emphasises this in dramatic style. Her demanding vocals drove thousands of people to ecstasy when it was rereleased in 2007, propelling it to #7 in the UK charts. Now The Gossip return with first major label album `Music for Men', released on Music With a Twist (Sony Music Label Group). So has the move to a major done them any good? Well quite simply yes. The music is calmer, more minimalist and generally more focused. Generally it is a more appealing sound for a wider audience. This isn't to say that they have lost their dramatic edge just that it has become more restrained and better focused.
This album sees The Gossip using more open arrangements which allow you to hear the intricacies and clever touches which were in some cases lost on the previous album. Beth's voice is much calmer and more tuneful. The half shout technique has disappeared from her repertoire, and it's a good thing. If she were to use it over these more stripped back arrangements then it would feel too over the top and forced. One exception is 8th Wonder which builds towards the end of the track to rolling drum and guitar sections as well as Beth's unmistakable vocal shout. This will be a live favourite. The vocals instead are well pitched with more sweeps and general diversity. The real quality of her voice comes out. There are some clever touches in the lyrics as well such as in `Love Long Distance' where Beth seamlessly drops in a little bit of Marvin Gaye's `Heard it Through the Grape Vine', and `2012' steals the hook from Kiss' track `I Was Made for Loving You Baby' with different lyrics carefully grafted to that amazing tune.
There is a distinct 80s influence running through the whole of this album. Little synth lines can be found to varying degrees in most tracks. In `Pop Goes the World' the synth creates a dancy little lead line guaranteed to make you smile, where as `Four Letter Word' sees it used to accent the gaps between Beth's vocals creating a flow to the song that really grabs your attention. The movement from that track to `Spare Me From the Mold' is a clever transition as well. The use of a squealing trumpet on the latter also helps to push the track into a twisted frenzy.
There are just so many good moments throughout this album that will guarantee The Gossip's success this year. This album is a fantastic combination of calm pop music (`Love Long Distance'), dance (`Heavy Cross') and a mild dose of rock (`Vertical Rhythm'), oh and a healthy dose of pure originality. Be ready to dance your feet off when these tracks hit clubs. Whoever you are, you won't be able to resist.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heavy weight contender, 22 Jun 2009
Gossip, formerly "The Gossip" return after there aclaimed album "Standing in the Way of Control" which only seemed to gain a following after the title track being use on "Skins" - following this, powerhouse Beth went on the celebrity circuit, appearing in numerous daily rags in skimpy clothing, talking about eating squirrels on talk shows and doing the various music venues with gusto...
I feared that when Gossip finally returned with their next album they would have succumbed to music execs and would have tamed their rock roots. Thank god I'm wrong - a worthy return and worth buying the album for "Heavy Cross" alone, something to fill the stereo until Florence and the Machine finally hit the scene.
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