The Gossip combine the rootsy blues of their native Arkansas with the alt-rock sensibility of their current base in Olympia, Washington, creating an intoxicating sound. Though Movement is the group’s third release (and their second full-length) it’s the first that truly captures the sweaty power of their music.
The opening track, “Nite”, sucks you in as singer Beth Ditto delivers the kind of smoldering gospel-drenched howl you might expect to hear oozing from a backwoods shack at 3 a.m. on a moonless light. But most of the music is designed to get the blood pounding and temperatures rising. “Don’t (Make Waves)”, for example, starts with the slashing drone of Nathan Howdelshell’s guitar; then the rock-solid beat of drummer Kathy Mendonca kicks in, doubling the tempo, as Ditto soars on top, declaiming with fierce glee how a girl can’t be tied down.
The soulful stomper “Confess” features a whirl of instruments and vocals dancing right up to the edge, with just barely enough restraint to keep from toppling over. The Gossip’s passion burns with enough intensity to heat the whole world.