User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info
- Summary: The Texas punk-rock band releases its latest album.
- Record Label: Volcom
- Genre(s): Rock, Punk
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
-
Positive: 2 out of 6
-
Mixed: 4 out of 6
-
Negative: 0 out of 6
-
Alternative PressUnderneath The Owl is unquestionably the best album of the Gamblers' career thus far. [Apr 2009, p.132]
-
It's weird to think that these Texas upstarts are largely relegated to the fringes of pop--what they do is so basic, so elemental, it's hard to even come up with a modifier to place in front of "rock."
-
Since the Riverboat Gamblers are regarded as one of the best live acts on the current punk scene, it seems curious that Underneath the Owl follows the strategy of sounding as little like a live performance as possible, and it neuters a band that knows how to get wild in the studio.
-
Some of the tunes slip into vague kvetching. But the tenderhearted rave–up 'Victory Lap' combines the best of Against Me! and the Replacements.
-
Side A is all the big, obvious, high-sheen rock, meant to be heard blasting out of speakers in a sweaty dive bar, but it’s stuff that tends to mash together in the haze of a few PBRs. Side B, tho, while hardly a sea change, shows a willingness to grow and experiment.
-
Underneath the Owl plays up the Gamblers' pop-punk traits while keeping a tight lid on their explosive tendencies. This wouldn't be of issue if the songs reached out and grabbed you, but ear worms are in short supply here.