Staff Reviews

The Gossip - Music For Men

Review by Andrzej Lukowski

There’s more than a soupcon of irony to the fact that prior to the release of Music For Men, The Gossip were signatories to the DIY powerhouse that is Kill Rock Stars. Because let’s be honest here: Beth Ditto and co didn’t exactly stumble into the limelight by accident.»

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'music for men' is the gossip's major-label debut and was produced by multi grammy award winner rick rubin and recorded at the historic shangri la studios in malibu. rubin's usual trick of making everything exceedingly loud works well here, unusually, not least because he has the good sense of not completely revamping the gossip's rudimentary formula. from the moment 'dimestore diamond' prowls in, the bony minimalism of the band is recognised by rubin as crucial to their appeal, giving ditto's heroic vocals all the space they need. standout tracks are the first single 'heavy cross' which has the same potential mass appeal as 'standing in the way of control', 'love long distance' which features italian house piano and synth washes and 'spare me' which is the younger sister of 'rock lobster'. 'music for men' manages to sound very shiny, modern and commercial without totally scurfing off the diy vigour of old.
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