Riverboat Gamblers - Underneath the Owl

While I still maintain that To The Confusion of Our Enemies (2006) is their best to date, this follow-up disc

(2009) is a solid release that also shows some - dare I say it - growth and expansion of their influences.

Opening with the powerfully catchy live fave "Dissdissdisskisskisskiss", they blast out with all of the elements that made TTCOOE so great - chant-along chorus, memorable guitar licks and plenty of energy. This is all too short but "A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology", while more mid-tempo and not as frantic, is also very melodic and bouncy. A simpler, more punk-rock number is "Catastrophe", which still sticks in your head with its neat guitar licks and impossible-to-forget chorus. Somehow, "Alexandria" is even more tuneful - how songs like this didn't get them picked up by a major and give them a huge hit, I'll never know!

They change things up a bit in "Pilgrims in an Unholy Land", where they sound a bit like later, adventurous Clash, with lots of concentration on dynamics, but with a very Gamblers-styled chorus and a rave-up lead section. Opening with a instrumental bit reminding me of the Chocolate Watchband's "Expo 2000", "Sleepless" has some hints of Bauhaus (at least to my twisted ears) with the pounding drum/bass verses and almost monotone vocals - which of course, only lasts so long before the power chords and sing-along sections break out. Appropriately enough, for "Robots May Break Your Heart", they get a little new-wave-y and even bring in DJ Bonebrake on vibraphone! There's a legitimate ballad in "The Tearjerker", with a country edge given by the addition of a pedal steel guitar - not afraid of experimentation!

But we're right back in standard Gamblers territory with "Keep Me From Drinking", that has some especially nice changes, while "Steer Clear" sounds a little darker but with some fine guitar playing, before closing with the wild romp of "Victory Lap", telling the tale of some of the crazy tours they've done.

To The Confusion might beat this out, but this is right up there and certainly one any fan should own!