Gossip - Music for Men

Genre alternative Publisher Columbia

Jumping to a major label is one of those “Do or Die” moments for most bands. It can go a few ways.  Bands like Nirvana who sign with the bigs get a larger production budget and end up releasing a blockbuster classic like the super-slick Nevermind, or Sonic Youth - who didn’t really stand to gain or really lose anything after their decade-and-a- half dance with Geffen. Then there’s bands like Gossip, who just get cooked a little too long under the corporate pressure cooker. 

Gossip, (formerly with ‘The’ ahead of their moniker) rose to national prominence in 2006  thanks to singer Beth Ditto, an outspoken feminist and advocate on gay causes. In the three years since their last record, Ditto, a voluptuous woman, has posed nude on the covers of several publications, turning heads in the music community. 

Ditto's antics caught the attention of legendary producer Rick Rubin as Gossip signed to Columbia for their latest album, Music for Men. Rubin has made many classic albums, but has a tendency to alter the sound of the bands he works with. Gossip gets the full treatment. The schizo-punk yelps of 2006’s Standing in the Way of Control have been replaced by a synthesized collection of dance rock.

“Dimestore Diamond” kicks off the disc with a deep bass groove and a restrained vocal from Ditto. Patches of white noise leak in and combine with ominous keyboards and slowly, the mix gets more insistent and sensual. Funky guitar riffing enters within the song’s final minute. It’s a song that begs to explode, but plods along neatly instead. It’s a missed opportunity, but establishes that the band is experimenting with a new sound.

The album’s first single, “Heavy Cross”, is next. Scissor Sisters style guitar and soulful “ooo-ooh’s” mark the song’s intro before the chorus atomizes the song into a full out dance track. Ditto’s trademark wail is heard briefly here, and it’s clear her heart is in this one. The single is an effective introduction to the band on the radio, but for anyone serious about exploring the gossip, they should start with the title track of the band’s previous record.

The disc is not without it’s high points, despite it’s early misfires. “Pop Goes the World” has some of the grooviest ping pong bass you’ll hear all year, and “Vertical Rhythm” has a pummeling guitar part that nestles perfectly on the bed of ominous keyboards it follows. 

Music for Men is such a weird disc mainly because Gossip made a move they didn’t really need to make. Their last disc was so exciting because it had a sloppiness to it that was charming. The in-your-face, almost amateur vibe of their last record made the band feel just as dangerous as they were fun to listen to. With a collection like this, it’s almost disconcerting to hear them so focused.