It’s just rock. Straight up ass-kicking rock done the way it should be: their way.
Borrowing on a quote from Frank Sinatra—the king of “My Way”—for the title of their newest release, Riverboat Gamblers do just that. It’s one part pop, one part punk, one part snotty, and one part southern… And the sum of its parts is a tall pint of butt-rockin’ perfection that balances out in the end to be simply Riverboat Gamblers.
With the energy of New Bomb Turks, the swagger of the Catheters, the detail-attentiveness of Samiam and the intense presence of The Hives, album number four, To the Confusion of our Enemies, RBG carries on in its own solid tradition with 14 stinker free tracks. It’s like a mild Snuff LP, traversing a limited but notable swath of styles, from the straight rocking “Don’t Bury Me…I’m Not Dead Yet” to the almost arty closer “Black Nothing of a Cat.”
Relentless and priceless, the boys retain their indie credibility and their status of under-recognized rock gods. If you know Riverboat Gamblers, my words are redundant; if you don’t know ‘em, then you’ve still got something to look forward to in life.
