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Gossip: Music For Men and live at the Showbox
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The Gossip's latest album (Columbia)
A decade ago, Gossip was sweating it out in the basements of Olympia, Washington (then heralded by Time as “the hippest town in the West”). It was in many ways the perfect setting for the band’s distinct brand of swamp punk, the cramped rooms actually enhancing the rising energy, as packed, enthusiastic audiences eagerly took in the ultimate power trio, stripped to its bare essentials: guitar, drums, and Beth Ditto.
Beth Ditto is the reason people care about Gossip. Not to take away the contributions of the other instruments, but Ditto is a performing force to be reckoned with, blessed with a powerful, soulful voice and a bubbly, ebullient personality, the kind of singer you just can’t take your eyes off of. Even so, with the band’s scruffy appeal, and a musical style that couldn’t be readily pigeonholed, it seemed unlikely they’d ever be more than an indie sensation. But lo and behold, none other than Rick Rubin — Rick Rubin! — took an interest in the band and signed then to an actual major label, with their first studio album for the majors, Music For Men, their latest offering.
The album gets off to a good start with “Dimestore Diamond,” the ominous drumbeats and bass giving way to Ditto trilling through a song about a woman who might be down, but is never out, the kind of song one could imagine Tina Turner performing. The growing tension is soon released on the next track (and first single), “Heavy Cross,” which explodes after the first verse into the kind of whipping back and forth you expect from the band. Despite the presence of additional instrumentation (bass, keyboards, saxophone), the sound is still spare, and the record is (thankfully) not over-produced. There’s the scratchy urgency of “8th Wonder,” the funky drive of “Vertical Rhythm” (which tellingly begins with Ditto proclaiming “I got the beat, you know I do”), Ditto wailing her way through the soul-laden cries of “Love Long Distance” and “For Keeps,” delivering a pointed kiss-off in “Four Letter Word,” coming to a more relaxed close with the new wave soul of “The Breakdown.” Even the synth-pop of “Pop Goes The World” works.
Brace Paine, Beth Ditto, Hannah Billie (Lee Broomfield)
If there is a criticism, it’s that the sound is a bit too clean; there isn’t any sweat. But that’s what live shows are for, and the band didn’t disappoint on their recent appearance in Seattle at the Showbox on October 23. Ditto was clearly delighted at drawing a full house, joking “It’s nice to sell out for once!”, a cheeky reference to both the size of the crowd and the band’s alliance with the majors. She bopped out to center stage as the band kicked off with “Dimestore Diamond,” clad in a form-fitting black and white dress, topped by flaming red hair, and didn’t stop rocking for the rest of the night, as the band members obligingly writhed around her and rocked just as hard.
There were plenty of songs from the new album of course, but Ditto threw in a number of choice covers as well, including as Bikini Kill’s riot grrrl anthem “Rebel Girl” and “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”, which she delivered straight, no chaser. The audience eagerly danced along, hailing the band like they were conquering heroes. Which of course they were. But Ditto welcomed us all along for the ride, no more than when she sang “We Are The Champions” for an encore and encouraged everyone to sing along. For Gossip, it’s not a party unless everybody feels included.
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