Before listening to their most recent album Underneath The Owl I’d never really given The Riverboat Gamblers much of a chance but this new album of theirs is pretty slick. It is some rockin’ punk-n-roll that sounds (a lot) like it could be plastered all over so-called modern rock radio. Their sound reminds me (quite a bit) of Communique/American Steel and other bands in that vein. The one thing about Underneath The Owl that is readily apparent right from the get go is that they love huge choruses; big, soaring, anthemic, sing-a-long, stadium-sized choruses. It’s perfect driving (or jogging) music that just makes the miles seem to fly by. It makes me wonder what the band sounded like prior to the slick production of Underneath The Owl. If you know, I’d love to be informed. There is also an almost garage-ish vibe to a few songs that makes me think of (and not because of the garage-ish vibe) Paris, Texas as well as the Loved Ones. So (yeah) I’m digging this album even though I really don’t think I should.
But why not? Is it too poppy? It there a bit too much radio-friendly sheen? Yes and yes, but really, this band could (and probably should) be huge with swarms of teenage girls all around. Should I be OK with that? Probably not, but hey, if my daughter listens to this, I’ll be fine with it.
MP3 | Riverboat Gamblers – Alexandria Underneath The Owl
MP3 | Riverboat Gamblers – A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology Underneath The Owl
This was interesting to me…..I’d never considered these guys slick before.
Saw them on the Warped tour a few years back and their live show was raw and real punk, with the singer getting right in people’s faces. The older recorded stuff like Dead From The Neck Up and Rattle Me Bones replicates this somewhat and is much less polished.
The songs you have up here (thanks btw) are decent but not as exciting as I remember stuff on ‘Something to Crow About’ being. They’re playing here next week with Fake Problems, so I’m hoping to see if they’ve retained their live edge then….fingers crossed!
I saw these guys open for Hot Water Music and Flogging Molly about 5 years ago, and was sold by the live show. I can say without disclaimer that they are (or at least were) one of the most entertaining live bands I’ve ever seen.
I also really enjoyed their first few records, although I’ve found them to be largely hit and miss, track-wise. “Something to Crow About” was about 50% genius and 50% filler, and “To the Confusion of Our Enemies” was about the same ratio. That said, the songs that are good are some of my favorite tunes. I’d recommend checking them out live as well as giving their earlier records a listen.
As far as comparisons go, I’d say that the band I’ve heard them compared to more than any others is the Hellacopters, although I’m not sold on that. Mostly, they just sound like the Gamblers to me.
I’m mostly familiar with Something to Crow About, and I’d never thought of them as slick, either—anthemic, yes, but not slick. Some of the songs on To The Confusion of Our Enemies do come off as a little pop-y, though.