CD Reviews: M64 and Gossip

[June 24th, 2009]

M64 Rhythm of the Drum

[A DIFFERENT DRUMMER] It’s a no-brainer Portland hip-hop Renaissance man Ohmega Watts and local soulstress Ragen Fykes work well together. In person, both are observant, funny and humble; both take care to look uniquely sharp; and both are students of music—heads in the most committed sense of the word. So after Fykes’ excellent vocal contributions to Watts’ sophomore solo effort, Watts Happening, their collaboration as M64 (named after two collided galaxies working in tandem) should come as no surprise. And no one should be shocked to find that the duo’s influences stretch far and wide.

At its heart, the combination works because both Watts and Fykes enjoy playing cat-and-mouse games with rhythm and timing. On M64’s brand-new 7-inch, Fykes sings like a smoother Erykah Badu, her breathy delivery finding offbeat grooves the way a skilled MC or jazz pianist might. Watts’ polyrhythmic beat for A-side “Rhythm of the Drum” takes cues from Bobby McFerrin, Herbie Hancock and the Latin funk rock that drove the original b-boys wild. The B-side, “In the Pocket,” is a minimal and spacey sway-along that reminds of Love Movement-era De La Soul. Both tracks have smoky outer layers that would mesh them seamlessly into a smooth after-party mix alongside Maxwell and Sade, but the real cause for celebration here is that—in concert with a handful of rising local soul outfits—M64 is just getting started.

Gossip Music for Men

[POP? ROCK?] “Dimestore Diamond,” the opening track from Portland-based trio Gossip’s major-label debut, Music for Men, balances the band’s distorted, blues-rock origins with its dance future. It just sounds cool: bacon-sizzle guitar feedback over an inchworm bass line and a pounding, chain-gang beat.

There are actually a few of those moments on Music for Men. Despite the song’s cheesy faux-protest lyrics, the infectious techno-punk of “Pop Goes the World” does what Big Audio Dynamite and Public Image Limited struggled to pull off: It bridges the gap between club music and rock. Also, “8th Wonder” is big and dance-friendly without losing Beth Ditto’s hysterics or guitarist Brace Paine’s blues-punk chops.

But much of the album sounds crafted to advance Beth Ditto’s pop-idol status in Europe. First single “Heavy Cross” is a retread of the band’s U.K. hit “Standing in the Way of Control,” with Ditto filing down her fangs a bit on the chorus. “Love Long Distance” is a throwback house anthem with a J-Tim sheen that could just as well be a hit for an American Idol finalist.

But while Music for Men was a predictable stylistic shift for a band going bigtime abroad, it’s still a risky one. Gossip’s dirty side is what made Ditto a star in the first place, and the band (or Columbia, perhaps) is basically saying ,“You want a pop star? We’ll give you one.” So while the new disc doesn’t always play to Gossip’s strengths, it’s still kinda hard not to root for ’em.