Gossip (Sony)
The definite article has definitely gone; despite the ongoing confusion, they’re now just Gossip.
But also missing from the cover is Beth Ditto.
The front of Music For Men features Gossip drummer Hannah Blilie, with Ditto and guitarist Brace Paine confined to the back of the box.
It’s a nice image, but it’s also a surprising choice. After all, for vast swathes of the listening public, the charismatic Ditto might as well be the group’s only member.
The absence of Ditto from the cover is the most daring thing about Music For Men, which doesn’t so much build on the group’s previous records as replicate them.
Rick Rubin’s production adds bite, but this is basically more of the same energetic, danceable stylings, more effective inside a club than outside one.
A few of the tracks do judder along nicely.
However, revealingly, as with Standing In The Way Of Control, the best track is again a remix: Fred Falke’s beefed-up, disco-ready rejig of White Cross.
WILL FULFORD-JONES
