Gossip

Music for Men (2009)

January 20, 2010

* ½ / ****

By Mr. Marlowe

Imagine this…

You have a college friend that plays in an alternative rock band. She’s always posting flyers for her band’s shows while exclaiming, “You’ve gotta check us out!” Finally, you break down and go to a show because well you want to support her. So you go and the show turns out to be decent enough. Decent enough, that is until the walk home when you at last realize the sad truth: she overemotes and her band is boring.

Listen to Gossip’s Music for Men and that scenario just might play out in your head. The reason: the album seems reminiscent of countless faceless bands that co-opt snippets of music and lyrics from their favorite influences yet can’t quite figure out how to create their own interesting sound.

In other words, Gossip is your friend’s derivative post-punk disco band and Music for Men is their bland attempt at hitting the mainstream. Aside from the excellent Heavy Cross and a couple other decent mix tape worthy tracks, there isn’t much about Music for Men that says, “We’re Gossip, hear us roar!” Instead, the album comes out like a disappointing whisper.

My suggestion: instead of Music for Men check out Scissor Sister’s self-titled debut, Radio 4’s Gotham!, and The Ting Tings’ We Started Nothing. All have something in common with Music for Men yet each blows it away.

Best Songs: Heavy Cross, Pop Goes the World