1. An American indie roc… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three artists with this name
1. An American indie rock band
2. A Japanese visual kei band (Ｇｏｓｓｉｐ)
3. Another Japanese Visual-kei band, typeset as Gossip-ゴシップ-
An American indie rock trio from Portland, OR, originally formed in Arkansas and formally known as The Gossip. The genre-bending DIY post-punk rock trio bring a new level of lyrical power and musical sophistication to their ever-evolving, always-electrifying sound and sensibility on Music For Men, the indie group's first major label studio album.
According to Gossip guitarist and music creator Brace Paine, the idea of calling the band's new album Music For Men comes straight from Beth Ditto, the Gossip's iconoclastic lead singer and charismatic front-person. "It's like a feminist joke," Brace offers by way of wry explanation.
And while the Gossip incorporate a deft sense of cultural irony into Music For Men, there's nothing confusing about the post-punk trio's musical approach: direct and visceral, pulsing with a raw and unapologetic animal energy, drummer Hannah Blilie's propulsive rhythms interlocking with Brace's heart-pounding riffs and Beth's aggressive and cathartic vocals.
One of the year's most highly-anticipated event releases, Music For Men, the Gossip's new musical manifesto, marks the group's first full-length studio collection since their signature anthem-of-empowerment, "Standing In The Way of Control," broke-out big in 2006. Music For Men is the first new music from the group since the release of its major label debut, Live In Liverpool.
On-board to make sure the Gossip got the studio sound they were looking for was producer Rick Rubin, who the helped the band find its own distinct groove in every track. "He is a true mystic," Brace observes "All we talked about was John Cage. He's only cares about music, speakers and sound systems. He's really amazing to work with. I'd say 'make the bass sound like PiL' and he'd know what I was talking about, he got all the references. He would let me do whatever I wanted to do. Such awesome energy."
Brace admits that the band's experience cutting Music For Men at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu marked "the first time we ever had access to a studio like that. I can see if you let a musician loose in this big studio to just ride all this stuff, I can see why somebody would just come up with this huge thing. Having restraint was so important. I hate the over-production sound."
"We wrote a lot of this album in the studio," Brace continues, again referring to Shangri-La. "The Band built it in 1976 and Bob Dylan's old tour bus was in the back. It was empty so I turned it into my own little studio with my computer with GarageBand and my guitars and stuff. I loaded up all my gear into Bob Dylan's 70s tour bus and that's where I wrote. Beth would come in and I would play her demos. All the vocal lines are hers, the lyrics are hers. I do the sounds and she sings over it. She'd come in the Bob Dylan bus and we did a lot of demoing on our own during the day because it was more comfortable. She'd come in and sing into GarageBand. I'd write some things to her vocals. 'Dimestore Diamond' was actually her humming the song and I started playing bass to it."
While "Dimestore Diamond" lays the escapades of a punk-rock Second Hand Rose across a deep funk bassline and crackling rhythmic static, "Men In Love" fires up the ultimate dance-floor groove, as sweaty as it is transcendent. "Heavy Cross," the album's first single, finds Beth first cooing, then belting a confrontational challenge to the status quo of a cruel world.
Other new songs on Gossip's "Music For Men" include "8th Wonder," "Love Long Distance," "Pop Goes The World," "Vertical Rhythm," "For Keeps," "2012," "Love and Let Love," "Four Letter Word," and "Spare Me From The Mold."
"She's got a serious set of lungs. She's a great singer. I'm always blown away by what she does," say Brace admiringly of his bandmate. "Everything she did was on the first or second take."
When it came to the overall sound and vibe of Music For Men, "We kept it really simple. There's usually not more than two things going on at once on the record. It just started out with bass lines and then I'd put a guitar over it or synth. I thought a lot about how it's gonna sound live. We're a live band so much. We have a fourth member, a bassist, on-stage. I play keyboards at the same time as guitar."
The journey from "Standing in the Way of Control" to Music For Men has been a wild ride for the Gossip. “We have been out on the road a lot,” says Hannah. “The shows are great, every tour gets bigger, and the shows are more and more fun. We're really good friends and we’re having a great time.”
Brace and Beth have been friends since Brace was 15 and each of them was formulating a cosmopolitan world-view encompassing far more than their lives in small farming towns on the outskirts of Searcy, Arkansas. A punk mixtape made its way from Brace to Beth (via a mutual friend, Kathy Mendonca, who'd later become the first drummer for the Gossip) and the seeds of a long-standing friendship and musical union were planted.
"I ended up hanging out with her quite a lot," Brace, a budding local indie music entrepreneur. "I put out a tape of her band Little Miss Muffet." It wasn't long before Beth, Brace and Kathy moved to Olympia, Washington where "We lived in a punk house together and started the band in the basement."
Right from the beginning, the Gossip felt they were on to something special. "Beth was doing this bluesy thing," Brace remembers. "It was more lo-fi. We never did sound checks. Everything was super-loud and distorted. I didn't know how to play my guitar at all. Then we got this new drummer...."
Once drummer Hannah Blilie came on-board, the Gossip line-up was in-place, ready to shake some action and kick down some walls. The young indie trio broke-through with 2006's Standing In The Way Of Control, which reached #1 on the UK indie chart and #22 on the UK album chart while the title track became widely associated with the popular UK teen drama, "Skins."
The success of “Standing In The Way Of Control” and the Gossip’s incandescent performances rapidly established newcomer Beth Ditto as a cultural icon in the UK -- she was named the NME's Coolest Person In Rock (in one of her four cover appearances), took home the Glamour Awards' 2008 International Artist Of The Year, appeared on the cover of the premiere issue of Love magazine, and is a much-sought-after guest on UK television. Beth and the Gossip’s music were becoming recognized in the UK and Europe as a major force.
In a surreal world where he's talked to Karl Lagerfeld about the Velvet Underground during French Fashion Week, Brace claims that "Our lives have -- hilariously -- not changed at all really. We live in the same town. "
And though the daily lives of the band's members remain unaffected by the Gossip's growing notoriety, the heat of their music and the adrenaline-rush of their live shows are an ongoing source of excitement.
Since the group's formation, the Gossip has opened for and/or toured with a wide variety of musicians including Le Tigre, Chromatics, Tracy and the Plastics, Sonic Youth, Pre, YYY, Sleetmute Nightmute, Glass Candy, the White Stripes, CSS, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Erase Errata, Stereo Total, and the Kills among others.
The summer of 2007 found the Gossip on-board the True Colors Tour -- as part of an eclectic bill including Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Harry, Erasure, Rufus Wainwright, the Dresden Dolls, the MisShapes, the Cliks and host Margaret Cho -- for a series of concerts benefitting the Human Rights Campaign.
That summer found the Gossip closing the Glastonbury Festival, with Beth Ditto paying homage to the late John Peel, the massively influential British DJ/journalist/television presenter, during the group's set exclaiming "JOHN PEEL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UNDERGROUND!!!" The Gossip was invited back to Glastonbury the following year.
2008 saw the release of Gossip - Live In Liverpool, a deluxe live CD/DVD documenting the group's incendiary show from July 9, 2007, focusing on the deep raw power, energy and intensity of the Gossip's live performances. In April 2008, in support of their live release, Gossip set off on a mini-tour of select US venues which included SRO shows in New York and a career-defining performance on the "Late Show with David Letterman."
"We are always on tour," says the band. As popular on the festival circuit as they are in the world's post-punk clublands, Gossip is lined up to play Radio 1's Big Weekend in May 2009 as well as a series of UK summer festivals including Latitude, Leeds, and Reading.
When the band's off the road, Beth, Brace and Hannah get together to practice at least twice a week. There's a club in Portland called Dunes, where Brace sets up shows and DJs "a lot." The group plays host to local post-punk parties and including a mythic underground soiree (now in hiatus) called "Suicide Club" where Brace whispers, "we would play post-punk records and show Joy Division videos on the wall. Maybe 30 kids would come. It was a great club. There was no sign because it was illegal."
With "Music For Men," the Gossip bring together the vital elements of danger, thrills and passion to their sound and vision, partying like it's 2012!!!
On January 22, 2010, it was announced that Gossip will be performing at Lilith Fair 2010, which is back by popular demand. ABC is the official sponsor of this year's Lilith Fair. For more information on the tour schedule and artists visit the Lilith Fair official website.
Sites: gossipYouth.com
Vertical Rhythm
Gossip Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got the beat
You know I do
Set the right kind of feeling
For the vertical rhythm night proof
Wake up after dark
I ain't no weather man
But I know it's gonna rain
Always say the same thing
And you know you do
Out of reach
Out of time
You always seem to be
Outta sight
Outta mind
You always seem to be
Two steps behind
Eye for an eye
Nail for a nail
Tooth for a tooth
What goes around comes back around
You better make the right move
Or you won't wake up at all
I ain't no better man
But I know not to complain
You're so conventional it's comical
How you always do the same thing
And you know you do
Out of reach
Out of time
You always seem to be
Two steps
Outta sight
Outta mind
You always seem to be
Two steps behind
Two steps behind
Just when you need it
Just when you fear it
Just when ya think it's over
It begins again
Just when ya think it's over
It begins again
Out of reach
Out of time
You always seem to be
Outta sight
Outta mind
You always seem to be
Just when you think you've got yourself together
Just when you think you've got it made
Just when you think you've got yourself together
Just when you think you've got it made
Two arms
Meant to hold you
Meant to love you
Do the right thing
Two arms
Meant to hold you
Meant to love you
Do the right thing
Do the right thing
Do the right thing
The song "Vertical Rhythm" by Gossip is about standing up for oneself and not allowing others to bring you down. The opening lines, "I got the beat, I got the beat, you know I do. Set the right kind of feeling for the vertical rhythm night proof" convey a sense of confidence and empowerment. The singer is ready to take on any challenge and feels in control of the situation.
Throughout the rest of the song, the lyrics suggest that the singer is tired of dealing with people who are predictable and conventional. They are always two steps behind and seem out of touch with the beat of life. The lines "Eye for an eye, nail for a nail, tooth for a tooth. What goes around comes back around. You better make the right move, or you won't wake up at all" suggest that the singer is not afraid to stand up for themselves and will not tolerate mistreatment.
The chorus, "Out of reach, out of time, you always seem to be outta sight, outta mind, you always seem to be two steps behind" reinforces the idea that the singer is taking control and moving forward, while others are stagnant and left behind. The song ends with a plea to "do the right thing" and embrace the love and support of those who have your best interests at heart.
Overall, "Vertical Rhythm" is an empowering song that encourages listeners to take control of their lives and not allow others to bring them down. It is a reminder that we all have the power to shape our own destiny and should not let outside influences hold us back.
Line by Line Meaning
I got the beat
I have the rhythm and energy to set the right atmosphere.
I got the beat
I have plenty of rhythm and tempo to create the perfect ambiance.
You know I do
I am confident in my ability to set the right vibe.
Set the right kind of feeling
Establish the perfect mood.
For the vertical rhythm night proof
To create the ideal rhythm for a night of non-stop music and dancing.
Wake up after dark
Come alive when the sun sets.
I ain't no weather man
I am not a fortune teller.
But I know it's gonna rain
But I know something is coming.
You're predictable and typical
You are always the same, unchanging and expected.
Always say the same thing
You never change your tune.
And you know you do
You're aware of how stuck in your ways you are.
Out of reach
You're inaccessible.
Out of time
You're always behind schedule.
You always seem to be
It's a recurring pattern.
Outta sight
You're not visible.
Outta mind
You're not remembered or thought about.
Two steps behind
You're lagging behind everyone else.
Eye for an eye
Revenge for a wrong done to someone.
Nail for a nail
Tooth for a tooth
What goes around comes back around
Karma exists.
You better make the right move
Take the right action.
Or you won't wake up at all
Or you might not make it through the day/night.
I ain't no better man
I have my flaws too.
But I know not to complain
But I know not to whine about things.
You're so conventional it's comical
You're so conformist and banal that it's humorous.
How you always do the same thing
You never change your ways.
Just when you need it
Just when you require it the most.
Just when you fear it
Just when you're the most frightened.
Just when ya think it's over
Just when you think the end is near.
It begins again
Something new starts.
Just when ya think it's over
Just when you believe it's finished.
Out of reach
You're unreachable.
Out of time
You're running out of time.
Just when you think you've got yourself together
Just when you're sure of yourself.
Just when you think you've got it made
Just when you believe you've accomplished all your objectives.
Two arms
A pair of open arms.
Meant to hold you
Intended to embrace you.
Meant to love you
Intended to cherish you.
Do the right thing
Make the correct decision.
Do the right thing
Make the appropriate choice.
Do the right thing
Make the morally right decision.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: HANNAH BLILIE, MARY BETH PATTERSON, NATHAN HOWDESHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind