Release Date: May 24, 2005
Reviewed by Scott Olivenbaum
Gospel’s The Moon Is A Dead World is an enrapturing mix of lo fi garage rock and emocore that is not for the weak of heart.
Often venturing into an anarchic rush of wild instrumental breakdowns, Gospel pull a trick out of classic jazz by burying a groove amid the cacophony. That groove meanders as much as it does in classic prog music but because of the sheer untamed nature of the music it is able to hold your attention. Unfortunately, also buried are the screamed vocals. The adventurous drums hold the top of the mix and are responsible as much for moving the music forward as they are for lashing out. Often the kick is keeping pace while the brass is almost haphazardly smashed. The guitars and bass are given to bobbing and weaving like a boxer while delivering the powerful blows when needed.
The result is an interesting mix of genres that brings to mind bands like Glassjaw, Sonic Youth, Open Hand and Gov’t Mule … all at the same time. The Moon Is A Dead World is a wild jumble of sounds that will either immediately peak interest or disgust in the listener. It is hard to single out individual tracks, as there is nothing ‘single-worthy’ as the labels put it. The album as a whole can be quite atmospheric for the post-hardcore crowd, artistic for the hipsters or noisy for the nonbelievers.
Leave a reply