Gosling Preview

Gosling
Schubas, Chicago
Friday, September 1, 2006

‘Twas a time when a band called Loudermilk trolled the shores of southern Washington state, later to grind out tours with Mötley Crüe and Megadeth. But luck has never been on their side. Originally having signed with American Recordings, their album was never issued. So Loudermilk picked up with Dreamworks, which would release the album but eventually collapse. As would the genre. It was time to ditch Loudermilk.

Returning as Gosling, the members of Loudermilk made one aesthetic change — giving guitarist Mark Watrous some keyboard duties — and a whole lotta musical alterations. The live spirit of their chunky alt-metal can still be felt in Gosling’s energetic, full-length debut, Here Is (V2), but that’s about it. This is a British rock band from either the middle of Britpop or combo of Faces blooze and ’70s glam. “Half Awake” belongs either on an Supergrass record or a Mott The Hoople side, a silky saxophone solo blurring its origins. Can we get the carbon-dating machine out? Fitting the periods Gosling honor, there’s a coked-up urgency in lyrics like “I’m alone/I’m alive,” “Got my ticket/got my pot of gold,” and “I’m just waiting for the sun.” Don’t look now, but here it comes.

Rose Hill Drive headline.

— Steve Forstneger

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly