Album Review: “Music for Men” Gossip

Gossip
Music for Men
[Columbia Records]

Music for Men perfectly encapsulates the energy and fervor of Gossip. The album opener, “Dimestore Diamond,” has the deep, throbbing signature beat of a Gossip song, the music as steady as a train clacking on the tracks. Beth Ditto could easily be singing about herself when she utters “Everybody knows the things she does to please / Faux cut sweaters with her skirts above her knees / She’s a dimestore diamond.” “Heavy Cross” twinkles and vibrates while “8th Wonder” hearkens back to the band’s punk-ier days with Ditto’s voice coming in like a storm. Stand out tracks “Men in Love” and “Four Letter Word” make the album shine. “Men in Love” is a combination of disco and eighties pop with an addictive chorus and speedy drums and guitar. Winding the album down, “Four Letter Word” has a brooding tone, counting down all the reasons why life can be cheerless, especially after a break-up. “Looks like it’s gonna rain again / Oh another four letter word / Never gonna fall in love again/ Oh another four letter word.”

The guts of Music for Men are all at once blustery, electrifying, and satisfying. As usual, Gossip outlive their expectations and have climbed to an even higher plane than before.

- Review submitted by Danielle Kramer.