CD Review: Gossip – A Joyful Noise

Written by Sebastian Huhn Tuesday, 15 May 2012 15:09

Artist: Gossip
Title: A Joyful Noise
Genre: Indie
Release Date: 11th May 2012
Label: Sony Music

Album Review

It’s been 3 years since the fourth GOSSIP album ‘Music For Men’ made the band sort of popular overnight around Germany and ‘Heavy Cross’ has become the evergreen. Preceding the new album ‘A Joyful Noise’ is the single ‘Perfect World’ which brings kind of a frigid charm to the band’s music while still maintaining a dramatic, catchy spirit throughout! Although, listening to the entire album now, this track is hardly representative. I still have this notion of a single track being the picture of the entire album’s sound. Wrong as it turns out. As the opening track ‘Melody Emergency’ hints at there’s more electronic gadgetry involved than was before. Still, the song’s a far more rocking affair than you’d think after the last few lines. The Contrast of the slow claps and the guitars is significant for this. ‘Get A Job’ keeps the balance between melancholic, disco-ish parts and the eruptive chorus; moreover it raises an important question “What kind of life is it when every day’s a weekend?”…”A happy one” isn’t the correct answer. Unemployment is a little hint.

‘Casualties Of War’ picks up a very emotional theme and features one of Ditto’s most haunting performances on the album. It’s those moments when you can feel the story unfolding in your mind. ‘Get Lost’ does a U-Turn into danceability and brings back the disco elements from before. ‘Horns’ has got some dirty accents applied on it and the more gritty stuff suits it pretty well I must say. ‘Love In A Foreign Place’ is closing the album. It has a certain nightclub feeling to it. Like it’s going to say “Go out and party now” at the same time there’s a sense of sexual attraction in the air. Hard to explain, but you’ll know once you’ve listen to it. I must say I was a little surprised about the generally more electronic feel of the record, coupled with chilling melancholy moods. That is not to say I dislike the direction. It’s quite the contrary: I love it!


Tracklist

01. Melody Emergency - 3:52
02. Picture Perfect World - 4:29
03. Get A Job - 5:00
04. Move In The Right Direction - 3:33
05. Casualties Of War - 4:17
06. Into The Wild - 3:14
07. Get Lost - 4:08
08. Involved - 4:17
09. Horns - 3:46
10. I Won't Play - 3:19
11: Love IN A Foreign Place - 4:22


Line-Up

Beth Ditto – vocalist, piano
Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell – guitar, bass
Hannah Blilie – drums


Website

http://www.gossipyouth.com/us/home / http://www.facebook.com/gossipmusic


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 8
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 8.5 / 10


Buy the album here!