Gospel Gossip: Dreamland

It might seem strange to call a band that plays live shows full of thrashing energy subtle, but Gospel Gossip's new EP, Dreamland, is full of subtleties. The six-song record tightens up the sound from 2007's Sing into My Mouth, relying less on extended jams in favor of denser, mutating song structures that signal a young band taking greater control of their melodies and making what could have just been a pleasant wash into an enveloping cocoon of sound.

Details

GOSPEL GOSSIP
Dreamland
Guilt Ridden Pop

Related Content

• Is/Is show kaleidoscopic talent on new album III
  April 11, 2012
• Zoo Animal, Gospel Gossip, and Red Pens prep for Loring Theater gig
  February 1, 2011
• Gospel Gossip: Drift
  December 23, 2009
• The Soap Factory's Haunted Basement spooked folks at last night's preview
  September 30, 2010
• Picked to Click 2010
  October 20, 2010

More About

• Ollie Moltaji
• Sarah Nienaber
• Justin Plank

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Music Newsletter: Keep your thumb on the local music scene with music features, additional online music listings and show picks. We'll also send special ticket offers and music promotions available only to our Music Newsletter subscribers.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

The degree of control is evident in the surprising textures throughout the disc—Ollie Moltaji's stutter-step drums punctuate the bridge of opener "Nashville" (a song that garnered praise from the poobahs at Pitchfork) and kick up the straightforward guitars-and-distortion fuzz. Justin Plank's bass lines pulse throughout, but really drive "Home," propelling the song through Sarah Nienaber's crackling guitar and breathy voice. That voice is something of a Chimera-like beast; it seems to be fixed between fierce howls and a delicate disappearance—apt for a band that balances cinematic sweeps of fuzz with piercing melodies.

With the first half of the record being narrative songs about relationships and moving on, the B-side is given over to more instrumentation with only occasional bursts of vocals. "Space/Time" and "Big Steer" are energetic breakdowns that bring in some of the tectonic energy of Gospel Gossip live. The title track closer lives up to its name; it's a slow burning fuse lit by Moltaji and carried by Nienaber's vocals and guitars as the elements fall hauntingly into place. The pace builds and the track smolders; it is a record that makes you want to curl up on a bare mattress with your lover and count the stars through the ceiling.