I have to admit I've been eagerly awaiting this record. The Seattle indie six-piece landed high up on my top 10 of 2005 with their last record, Volcano, and it's almost certain this disc will be up in that lofty atmosphere as well. Gatsbys is, quite simply, one of the most innovative and exciting bands recording today. I suppose the best way to encapsulate their sound is as a mad combination of Rush's prog-rock imaginings and knee-jerk rhythmic twists and turns, the Dead Kennedys' guitar thrusts and explosions of passion, and Forgive Durden's ability to bleed indelible hooks from unlikely places. The 11 slices of pop mayhem here are all over the map, a sonic id traveling from the profane (as on “Margaritas and Cock�) to the propulsive (“Filthy Beasts�) to the preposterous (“My Name Is Ozymandias�). Each track is its own universe, slamming together so many creative ideas and taking off into different directions with the capricious joy of a child at a playground, but all of them add up to one of the most eclectic and satisfying albums you're likely to hear in 2006.
By Sean Leary
Release date: August 8, 2006
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