By: David de Young
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| Gospel Gossip - Photo by Jenn Barnett |
Saturday night Revolver (The band formerly known as Revolver Modele) chose the belly of The Beasthouse to release their brand new 8-song CD, The Illiterati.
When we arrived at what is popularly referred to as “The Camel Space” around 9:00, I was immediately impressed by it. It’s like many other party spaces I’ve seen in the warehouse district over the years except that it’s been given a hipster makeover. The hardwood floor was polished, the modern pool table was covered in fresh felt, and the upscale bar served decent wine and imported beers.
Before Revolver was to take the stage this night, we were in for an additional treat as Twin Cities sensation Gospel Gossip played a warm-up set to a growing throng. Gospel Gossip has been one of my favorite live bands since before their CD Release Party in December, 2007. At Saturday’s show, I was pretty sure I heard some brand new songs, and after the set guitarist/vocalist Sarah Nienabor confirmed that for me, even letting on that a new album is also in the works.
Gospel Gossip has always been a joy for me to listen to because their music hits me where I want to be hit. Sometimes it is Clash-like with a drone, at other times they delve deep into terrain trail-blazed by New Order in their guitar-based early days. (I’ve said before that “Age of Consent” seems to be at the heart of every Gospel Gossip song, and “Age of Consent” being my favorite song, connections with their music are just bound to happen for me.) Over the past year Gospel Gossip’s live show has gotten polished to the point where I could easily see them embarking on a successful European Tour. I’m convinced that England, in particular, would eat them up.
[Breaking news as this article went to press, Gospel Gossip just came in a close second place in the City Pages’ 2008 Picked to Click tally.]
As good an opening act as Gospel Gossip may have been, this was still Revolver’s night. Strangely, the band’s CD Release Party didn’t get nearly the preview press I would have expected. It’s too bad, especially since The Illiterati not only proves that this “it” band of the Twin Cities music scene from the early 2000s (they were formed in 2001 and played the very first Voltage Fashion Amplified) is not only still in the game but may have just released their finest album to date.
The Illiterati has a heavier rock edge than past records, and the band’s goth aspect appears to have been toned down a notch or two. Speaking to the album’s producer Jacques Wait at the release party, he told me it’s “one of the best albums [he’s] worked on in a while” by any band and he said it reminded him a bit of a “disco version of the Cramps.”
Revolver Modele - Photo, Barnett
As you might expect, Saturday night’s Revolver set heavily showcased songs from the new disc, opening with the CD’s first track, “Monkey Monkey” (a track featured on the September HWTS Podcast.) Wild echoing vocals compliment the primal aspect of the song, which, without a lyric sheet to go by, appears to reference both primitive urges and primates themselves.
They moved on to track two, “Insects” with Ehsan Alam continuing to play the electric guitar he had picked up at the start of the show. Though often thought of as a mic-clutching, arm-flailing front man, I am glad when Alam takes up the guitar and demonstrates his musical proficiency on that instrument as well. To his left, lead guitar player Michael Arnold wailed away on his own guitar in an always interesting combination of hipster detachment and total focus.
Their third song, “Death in the Bedroom II” reminded me of both Joy Division’s “Shadowplay” and that same band’s “Transmission.” Arnold jumped right into the guitar part before waiting for applause following the previous song to subside. “Death” made me to dance, and I did so – just a little bit, however, while still somehow managing to lean coolly upon a pillar. (I noticed many others in the room performing similar minimalistic dance moves.)
Departing from the new disc, Revolver’s set included older song “The Ache” during which Alam took up the maracas. He next introduced a song as a “song with a really long title.” (The full title is a translation of a phrase from Marcel Proust’s The Death of Bergotte: “there is no reason why, existing outside ourselves a real place should conform to the pictures in our memory rather than to those in dreams”). During the song Alam edged into the audience with his wireless mic.
Before “In the Time of Assassins” Alam announced the band had discs for sale. He pointed out the name of the next song “A Night at the Carousel” came from a Marx Brothers movie, and during that song bassist Natasha Hassett moved towards Michael Arnold with a look on her face that can only be described as “very, very afraid.” I’m not sure if that was just planned drama or if something had gone terribly awry that we as the audience simply weren’t privy to, but whatever it was it was soon over and the set ended with another oldie, “Delirium Tremens.” The club space shut down shortly afterwards, and the party moved up the street to Clubhouse Jaeger, which was just fine with me as the Beasthouse had run out of wine.
Set list:
Related links:
Location Info:
The Beasthouse
Artist Info: Gospel Gossip, Revolver Modele
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