Gossip

Tue 16th Jun, 2009 in Features

“I’m in Graz, Germany. I just found a dumpster full of art books and I am. Freaking. Out.”

I am on a midnight phone call to Nathan Howdeshell of Portland band Gossip to discuss their new record Music For Men. Thus far, however, we have only managed to discuss sleep deprivation, watching Flight of the Conchords on YouTube, the phenomenon of Googling your own name and – œ60s folk singer Melanie Sabka. Then he walks past the dumpster. For someone who curates his own art shows, this is a stellar find.

“Yeah, oh my god, this is amazing stuff in here. There’s all these German art books; I mean, these are beautiful books. Hard-bound, huge, old, – œ60s magazines on graphic design. These are amazing.”

“Who would wanna throw them away?” I inquire.

“I don’t know,” he mutters, “Fucking computers, probably.”

That makes no sense, but I am delirious from lack of sleep and it just spurs me on. “The only thing that survives are the books,” I inform him wryly. “If something goes down – the electricity goes down – we’ll have lost our online presence. We wouldn’t know what to do with ourselves. We’ll be disenfranchised.”

He laughs. “The world would be a much better place. If the internet was gone for just two years, don’t you think we’d all be more just as humans? It’s like people only know who they are from what they read about themselves on Facebook. It’s ridiculous.”

I make a note to update my Facebook status as I continue to probe Nathan for information about the album. It’s clear his mind is now entirely with the art books, but I have some back-story at least. Gossip went all the way with this latest work, recording it at Shangri-La Studios in Miami. The infamous studios have Bob Dylan’s old tour bus parked out back, a rig Nathan commandeered as his own studio.

“Personally, I’m not a really big Bob Dylan fan,” Nathan admits, “but that studio was amazing. It was like my little castle. Me and Beth [Ditto – Gossip vocalist, needs no explanation] always sorta jam together in my room and I play music and she sings and we make a lot of music. But when you’re in a studio, it’s nice cause it’s kinda a whole new space. You clear the air and erase everything. Everything’s totally new, you know?”

And of course, Gossip drummer Hannah Blilie was allowed on the bus. “We like to work together as a band,” he explains. “We’re very democratic and we help each other write each other’s parts. We always try to do what makes us feel a little comfortable.”

“I find Beth’s vocals so exciting,” I tell Nathan. “You don’t hear many voices like hers anymore.”

“She has a great voice,” he agrees. “She could belt it out with the best of them I think. I think Beth can sing better than these pop stars who get paid millions of dollars to sing these generic songs.”

It’s not a voice that needs any adornment. Which works in well with Nathan’s ethic of creation. Despite the immeasurable possibilities that a studio of Shangri-La’s magnitude could afford him, Nathan showed terrific control. His dislike of – œover-produced’ sound demands discipline.

“This is a quote that I live by from this jazz musician called Charles Mingus. He said, – œIt’s not what you put in. It’s what you don’t.’ I think that’s so true. I mean, if you’re in a studio you could go wild if you wanted to, but to be able to practice restraint is a real lesson, you know?”

“How many demos did you take in?” I ask, as Nathan calls out, “Are these art books?”

We both wait for the response and a third voice [hereafter referred to as The Mover] calls back, “No, they’re records.”

Nathan and I draw a sharp intake of breath. The mother lode.

“Records?” yells Nathan.

“Yeah,” yells The Mover. “You can take – œem.”

Curious silence ensues. On both the Australian and the German end of the line.

“Wow,” says Nathan.

“Wow,” I echo. “Makes you wonder what they kept.”

“I know, really, wow.”

I’m the first to snap out of it. “So, how was it working with Rick?” I enquire, referring to Mr Rubin – Super Producer.

“Oh my god, amazing. He’s a genius.”

“Yes. How did you end up with him on the album?”

“He just asked us. It was totally random,” says Nathan, incredulously. By now I can’t decide what he’s excited about: things we’re dicussing or items he is unearthing in his vintage art/music pile.

To have Rick Rubin randomly phone you up and ask to work with you on an album is pretty incredible though. However, it spelt the end for a few tracks Gossip had Simian Mobile Disco work on. “We ended up not really using the James Ford tracks, – œcause Rick sort of did them and made them sort of better.” Well, I did ask. And I’m sure James could cop that from Rick Rubin.

With that The Mover comes back out of the house with more books and records and Nathan goes off the radar. In raptures at his new haul, he talks me through the collection excitedly, before telling me how the first few shows on the tour have gone. “People were excited I think. It’s been a while since we’ve played any new songs so it’s exciting.” If they were half as excited as Nathan is stumbling across tonight’s treasure, the album will sky-rocket.

Gossip’s Music For Men is out Friday 19 June through Sony Music.