The Gossip
Standing In The Way Of Control

An afternoon in late July, while channel surfing, I saw a video featuring a guitarist, a singer, and a drummer amidst the myriad colors of an abstract and psychedelic background. The song had a very personal style, a mix of indie, garage, disco with some punk undertones. The song was quite varied compared to other emerging bands of this genre, all of them sounding similar and overwhelming us daily with their hyper-emphasized and dramatic choruses. At the end of the song, the group's name (The Gossip) and the song title "Standing In The Way Of Control" appeared on the screen.

The next day, I found out that the song I had heard was the title track of their third album. The singer was named Beth Ditto, the guitarist Brace Paine, and the drummer Hannah Billie (who, I swear from the video, looked like a man).

These folks intrigued me a lot, partly because I had never heard of them and partly because of their distinct originality, which that single managed to convey to me. I might have been too optimistic in snapping it up so "sight unseen" after hearing just one track of the entire album, but my curiosity was overwhelming. Once home, I turned on the stereo, cranked it up, and waited for it to begin.

The album started with a direct and catchy groove "Fire With Fire". The sound wasn't much different from the song I had heard on TV, but it grabbed me right away with its catchy chorus. Following closely were the title track, which I've already mentioned, and "Jealous Girl", which contains hints of feminist punk—not surprising since Beth (as far as I know) grew up listening to Bikini Kill. The fourth track "Coal To Diamonds" is the only pause in the whole album, with a sweet, delicate, and perhaps a bit predictable melody that serves as a backdrop to Ditto's slow and breathy voice. The album continues relentlessly with punk-funk rhythms in "Eyes Open" and "Holy Water". There is even time for some jungle diversions (Listen Up!) and disco (Your Mangled Heart). The album ends with "Dark Lines", a track infused with warm soul-blues.

After listening, a certain repetitiveness becomes evident, which is compensated by Ditto's vocal efforts, who with her beautiful voice, full and sometimes even a bit angry, gives the album a solid four, even though it's not exactly my genre.

In short, an album to listen to lightly, a more than valid alternative to the usual radio bands.