Gospel - The Loser
Gospel X Dog Knights
Brooklyn, New York based band Gospel's second studio album is separated by 17 years from the bands debut project. Never skipping a beat, The Loser picks up right where 'The Moon Is a Dead World' left us - in a state of angst riddled ecstasy.
Organ/keyboard infused post-hardcore/noise rock. Reminiscent of Ray Manzarek's work amidst The Doors output. Come to church my dear boy. Confess your sinssss. Arms raised towards the firmament - come to Jesus. Triumphant in the face of adversity. The outcome doesn't change how things should feel. My being is enough without an expectant result. S.R.O.'s effective use of saxophone(?) transcends an already transcendental experience. Like anxiously floating through the crowds only to raise up and shed the skin of doubt - new air to breathe, new sights to see, new thoughts to think, new lives to live. The rhythm section of Sean Miller and Vincent Roseboom maintain constant, healthy grooves while simultaneously pushing forth - breaking on through in victorious fashion.
Ominous at times, The Loser feels like impending doom circulating the listeners head - the potential for catastrophic collapse waits at every corner. The foundations of life itself are held up by frail strings. Time itself is a fragile entity. Existing only in the minds eye it calls from the ether. Limitless, yet honing no power. Destructive to all, yet doing no harm. A dichotomy of the most powerful order. A figment of the imagination that looks down with puppet strings in hand. We play into our own downturns. Spiraling out in what seems like the blink of an eye. The blink of an eye which warmed up years in advance. Your past circles your being with every step.
The cover art is reminiscent of a homeless persons tiredly scribbled sign - a call for help if there ever was one. The wrath of God bears down on all of us. No one is able to avoid his judgement. The all-seeing eye doesn't take a day off. You will get away with what you have gotten away with for now. The future is nearer than you think, however. It is home to all of your well deserved days of pain and anguish. They are all earned. They are all awaiting your arrival.
'Let's hear it for the boy
How he makes a rotten man'
Gospel's return shows us that 17 years is no time for burning desire. As stated on Dog Knight's Bandcamp page, Gospel will have more news further into 2022. When on a run, why not make as much ground as possible?
