Gatsbys American Dream - Gatsbys American Dream
Rating
RIYL
Portugal. The ManSay Anything
Cursive
Man Man
Circa Survive
Label
FearlessTracklist
1. You All Everybody2. We Can Remember It For You Wholesale
3. Badd Beat
4. My Name is Ozymandias
5. Margaritas and Cock
6. Station 5: The Pearl
7. Shadow of the Colossus
8. Filthy Beasts
9. Looks Like the Real Thing
10. Me and Ed Loyce
11. The White Mountains
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We all know the old cliché saying about how “money doesn’t make the world go around, but it sure does keep the gears greased up”; however, the truth behind this statement is undeniable, as the almighty dollar sign has been responsible for almost anything you can imagine, ranging from murder to merger to marriage. Well, the music world is not only a business that has been infiltrated by finance, but it more often than not throws in the towel before the fight has begun. Hell, you need proof? Just look at the endless number of bands that sign to Victory for the fat advance only to later shit on Tony Brummel because of his money-mongering attitude. Well, have no fear, as Gatsbys American Dream has fastened on their cape of musical righteousness with one mission in mind: bluntly expressing their dissatisfaction with the music industry's evil ways and leaving nothing uncovered in the way of financial fear and blackmail.
Typically known for penning clever, intelligent, and creative (and to some, pretentious) concept albums that draw from literary works such as Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies (as well as the story of Pompeii), Gatsbys American Dream has put the brakes on their scholarly musings to openly send a huge “fuck off” to the music industry they’ve been forced to deal with as an up and coming band. While this isn’t a new complaint or topic from the anals of musical history, or even of this year (see: Set Your Goals – Mutiny!), GAD’s fresh take is not only intelligent and witty, but also quite crucial to a music scene and genre that is constantly selling its young talent for any label’s get rich quick plans (the musical equivalent of the Yankees, anyone?).
GAD waste no time before they get to their industry bashing as album opener “You All Everybody” consists of such overt attacks as “This place is built of men / People who crush your hopes and the things / That make you different / And my art is not art at all / my art is just bought and sold / and it makes no what you believe / If you don’t stand up and make the difference” all with a muffled spoken word segment that consists of the same “we shouldn’t live in fear of the music industry” guidelines that make GAD’s self-titled release so damned brilliant.
Quite possibly the strongest track and most obviously pissed and pointed track on the album, “Badd Beat” continues the onslaught on the recording industry, this time taking on booking agents that continually steal money from bands while “treating them like shit,” yet somehow getting away with it by simply threatening bands with loss of tours and needed finances. As the album continues, the band continues their barrage on those that have pissed on them throughout their existence as a band, through the usage of transparent metaphors and even more open, dark criticism.
Vocally, Nic Newsham is as stellar as ever, mixing his boyish, semi-croon with fast-paced, angered vocals that sound like something caught in between today’s better emo vocalists, such as Anthony Green, and yesterday’s emotive rockers like Davey von Bohlen during his tenure in the The Promise Ring. While this comparison might be a stretch to some, it’s simply the perfect mélange of whiney, almost effeminate singing and punchy, yet calmed emo-punk vocals. Also finding their way into the mix are vocal characteristics like gang vocals that, at times, sound like they were ripped from Tim Burton's stop motion films like The Nightmare Before Christmas (see: “Filthy Beasts” and “Me and Ed Loyce”), while other times being your simple, yet rousing, gang vocal that demands immediate attention. All of this vocal versatility seems to finally fit perfectly in place, whereas it seemed somewhat uncomfortable on past releases, which in turn makes for Gatsbys tightest and undoubtedly best vocal performance of their career.
As for the instrumental side of things, GAD has once again re-invinted themselves somewhat by juxtaposing the aforementioned critical view of the music industry against genuine pop sensibilities and a toned down Man Man-ish sense of experimentation and quirkiness. What makes this increased rhythmic pop infusion somewhat comical and ironic is the fact that this self-titled release may be exactly the album that labels have wanted them to make… well, at least in sound that is. Don’t be fooled, though, while GAD’s latest might up the ante in the way of dancy, keyboard-injected pop, it also ups the ante in experimentation and angularness.
While songs like “Margaritas and Cock” sound like a stripped down, saloon performance meeting head on with the desperation of genuine emo bands, songs like “Filthy Beasts” come across as Cursive-esque indie anthems that are both sarcastic and pissed in text and sound. Despite the progression and the interesting interplay of awkward pop and experimental indie, this release does present one glaring fault – the re-use of various chord progressions and song structures from their previous works, mainly Volcano. Sure, bands may do this all the time in today’s recycled music scene; however, in this case, it sticks out upon first listen and becomes very bothersome after multiple spins (especially if you were a huge fan of Volcano like myself).
Overall, this is undoubtedly GAD’s strongest album as a whole, due to the fact that they have explored their sound even further on this release while pairing their newly acquired penchants for macabre, funeral parlor sounding keyboards, bouncy pop rhythms, spoken word overlays and awkwardly powerful gang vocals with their jaded, critical lyrics that successfully obliterate the “under the rug” practices that have made the music industry so damned “wicked.” No matter your preferred genres of music, whether they be genuine emo, prog-rock, indie, or power-pop, Gatsbys American Dream’s latest self-titled offering holds something impressive in store for you.
Here’s to many more Gatsbys albums, that is, if they don’t just throw in the towel due to their disgust with this dirty, dollar-sign driven business we call “music.” Mission accomplished Gatsbys American Dream, you have not only made a power-pop album chockfull of substance, heart, creativity, vocal perfection and musical prowess, but also one that makes a solid case that money isn’t “grease on the wheels” but more like a wrench caught in the spokes.
--Jayme Barkdoll
Comments
Seattle, WA
Tuscaloosa, AL
Hoboken, New Jersey
Seattle, WA
Tuscaloosa, AL
well, i think so... i don't have the lyrics book with me right now
Oklahoma
AZ
www.myspace.com/arcoftheaurora
Tuscaloosa, AL
allmusic.com has them listed as Genre: Rock Style: Emo. tough to argue with that.
Boston, Massachusetts
disasterPEACE . disasterTRON
Fort Bragg, CA
Green Brook, NJ
Ok, so Ribbons and Sugar was a good CD. I have a burned copy of it because I wouldn't buy into this band or this label.
Correct you are, philthy. The vocals are annoying. It's a mixture between fingernails on a chalkboard and a gorilla giving birth to a sea lion. I have seen this band live and they are ghetto Hollisterites who can't sing worth two shits. I am so convicted to that statement I would rather watch my only living grandmother be raped than listen to this band live. I have never left a show while a band was playing before Gatsby's American Suckfest.
This band should never be compared to Man Man. Never. Do you hear me? Never. Man Man has a sense of style that is so far beyond GAD that it's not even funny. You may wonder how I could tollerate Man Man vocals and songs over GAD. Man Man is an experimental band. GAD is not. GAD is verse, chorus, verse, repeat, repeat, repeat. I saw Man Man live at Pitchfork a few weekends ago and had it not been hotter than hell and had there not been 36,000 people there, I would have seen them better. But even from 100 feet away from the stage they were better than GAD one foot from the stage.
Seattle, WA
um.... try again. Volcano was the first album they ever used a chorus on. I defy you to listen through Ribbons and Sugar and find one repeating part.
also snicker at the swine has repeating sections, as do a couple other songs on the cd. you're not listening hard enough.
also also, just because someone makes ridiculous-as-fuck analogies does not make a person clever or amusing. maybe a little amusing. not very clever. at all. zero.
Hoboken, New Jersey
Seattle, WA
Ryan and Joey (ex-dead in hollywood) were absent on Volcano, and the guitar playing is the best on any album, so I know Bobby probably writes most of the parts. On further review of the new album, I'm liking it more and more, just was expecting something a lot different. Still a great record.
And yeah... I hate how people throw out vulgarity and profanity and think it must be instantly funny. For those of you who don't understand yet... Swearing =/= funny. Think a little and you might be able to come up with something clever...
Fort Bragg, CA
lol
Seattle, WA
Hoboken, New Jersey
Seattle, WA
Seattle, WA
Tuscaloosa, AL
PA
AZ
I guess allmusic.com is the WORD. :rolleyes:
www.myspace.com/arcoftheaurora
AZ
They sound like a progressive rock band that crams a whole lot of awesome into 3 minutes instead of 12. nothing emo about it.
www.myspace.com/arcoftheaurora
