Gossip - Music For Men

I've had the new Gossip album sitting on my desktop for about a week now, debating whether or not to blog it. I've never been a huge fan of them, but part of me was sort of curious to hear how their major label debut, Music For Men, would sound. Giving it the benefit of the doubt, I decided to listen. Starting off slow with the sultry, ballad-esque "Dimestore Diamond," Music For Men seems to scale back a bit on Gossip's usual blend of dance-punk. Fortunately, this doesn't last for too long, as tracks two and three ("Heavy Cross" and "8th Wonder") find singer Beth Ditto emitting her best wails amidst aggressive guitars. Although they're still in touch with their punk selves, it's clear that Music For Men is a major label album, polished and perfected over and over again. It's nice to hear Gossip mix it up with more poppy mainstream-sounding dance songs ("Love Long Distance," "Men In Love"), but it's also hard to not miss their edgier side. Hopefully that will return on their next album, but for now, Gossip fans will definitely still enjoy the upbeat tone of Music For Men.

DOWNLOAD: Gossip - Music For Men [Columbia]
Recommended Tracks: "Heavy Cross," "8th Wonder," "Men In Love."