‘If there’s a risk, I’ll take it,” the post-punk princess Beth Ditto proclaims on “8th Wonder.” Sweeping up disco sounds and bringing them out of the safe havens of gay-friendly towns and niche genres to be backed by hardcore sensibilities might be considered “risky”‘or gimmicky, rather’by some, but haters be damned. Gossip serves Music For Men to the world over as an assertion of their staying-power and broadband appeal. What many thought was just a riot grrrl band from Olympia, Washington that got lucky with a provocative single (2006″s “Standing In the Way of Control”), has come back biting on their major-label debut.

“We called it Music For Men,” explains Gossip on their website. “Rick Rubin stroked his beard and smiled while we played drums.” The undeniable super-producer Rubin’who has worked with Johnny Cash, the Beastie Boys, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, among others’has been smitten with the group since seeing them play three years ago, and now produces Music For Men, elevating their sound to play the next big arena. And they’re ready for it. Guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hanna Blile make every track a biting, pulsing song that cuts through you to the core, thanks to their post-punk background. Beth Ditto finds herself at a crossroads between a glammed-out disco diva and a bluesy hardcore crooner’it sounds strange, but it’s a delightful line she walks.

Disco rules the record, infusing Gossip’s trademark sound, and is joined by soul influences that let Ditto shine. She quotes ‘I Heard It Through the Grapevine’ on the Donna Summer-reminiscent ‘Love Long Distance,’ and Aretha Franklin’s ‘Chain of Fools’ on the track ‘Men In Love.’ The standout opener ‘Dimestore Diamond’ leads the way on the album, its epic, thumping build akin to that of a country western soundtrack’you know, the badass kind, where you know something crazy is about to go down. However, it’s ‘Heavy Cross’ that will most likely capture attention: with Dittos’ voice recorded with a layer of distortion, it’s the solid single choice to bridge the gap between their early garage rock sound and pop-friendly brand of punk-soul. In many ways, it’s a simple record’just a delightful, fun album that’s easy to listen to all the way through. Yet, it stands out as a piece that’s refreshing, bold in musicality, and still defiant as ever–just the way we like our Gossip.
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