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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Standing In The Way Of Control
by The Gossip
This is the third LP for the Washington state punk trio.
| LABEL: |
Kill Rock Stars |
| RELEASE DATE: |
24 January 2006 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Indie, Rock |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
91
Spin
Gut-wrenching, foot-stomping punk. [Feb 2006, p.87]
83
Entertainment Weekly
B+ Somebody has nearly DustBustered the "garage" right out of their gorgeously messy garage-rock sound. [27 Jan 2006, p.84]
83
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Ditto can wail like a gospel singer with bugs under her skin, or quietly sing with an almost palpable vulnerability, and her range suits The Gossip's jagged, bluesy post-punk well.
80
Tiny Mix Tapes
Ditto and company take indie-rock in a direction many of its fans are not used to, in that the focus is mostly about the human voice and the way the musicians compliment the singer's attack.
80
NOW Magazine
Long-time fans might be a bit weirded out by the shift, but a few seconds hearing Ditto channel Peggy Lee on the smoky torch burner Coal To Diamonds should assuage their fears.
80
Urb
Positively sneers with attitude. [Jan/Feb 2006, p.94]
80
Magnet
Balances restraint and abandon in a near-perfect ritual tease. [#71, p.99]
78
cokemachineglow
They now play with a heads-down resolve that is thrilling.
70
Prefix Magazine
Think Au Pairs or Delta 5, but filtered through Bikini Kill and the Rapture.
70
Slant Magazine
The Gossip's melodies are infectious and their beats propulsive enough... to get the sk8er kids to drop the self-conscious posturing and dance a little.
70
Playlouder
To be honest this album has been down the pub all day; it doesn't care that you have to go to work in three hours time; it has just burst into your room and demanded the keys to your car and that bottle of Bombay Saphire you were saving for your birthday.
70
Q Magazine
Showcase[s] a band revelling in their powers, in thrilling control of their screeching rock 'n' roll abandon. [Mar 2006, p.107]
70
Uncut
[The Gossip] have evolved a blend of rough and impassioned garage-soul that owes as much to Tina Turner, Peggy Lee and The Ronettes as it does to Sonic Youth and The White Stripes. [Mar 2006, p.96]
70
New Musical Express
It's hard not to enjoy being alive while listening to this album. [25 Feb 2006, p.31]
68
Pitchfork
While the tight playing and vocal pyrotechnics are impressive, Ditto's narrow lyrical scope gets really redundant.
67
Stylus Magazine
Fun and frequently powerful.
60
Under The Radar
The Gossip's instrumentation could use some more low-end meat on its bones. [#12, p.91]
60
Drowned In Sound
While the songs on their third recorded set are confident, compositionally astute and capable of slotting into any indie-disco DJ’s mid-set surge towards an electric peak, they more often than not sound like the sum of parts, rather than the frenzied party jams deployed by the band at their scintillating live shows.
60
Rolling Stone
At times they try to get over with passion in place of proper tunes... but this is still a righteous, life-affirming ride.
60
Dusted Magazine
The group [is] at it's best when it stays close to it's R & B foundation. Standing in the Way of Control expands the Gossip's pallette, but the keepers here hug tight to the rump.
60
Mojo
Unfortunately, the disc highlights a new hole: storytelling. [Feb 2006, p.92]
50
No Ripcord
It’s confident and cohesive, but the precision may not be the Gossip’s ideal sound.
40
The New York Times
This is a transitional album: many of the songs seem underwritten without all that noise on top; sometimes it sounds as if the band is still trying to figure out what to do with its tense, restrained new sound. [23 Jan 2006]
The average user rating for this album is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 11 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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