Review → Spanish Gamble – It’s All Coming Down (2010)
Spanish Gamble - It's All Coming Down
OK, so Spanish Gamble used to be Dirty Money. When they were Dirty Money, they put out a split 7″ with OK Pilot that might have my favorite art from any record ever, and also provided the best song to the Fest 6 comp (“1-2-3 Fest!”). Nowadays, they’re Spanish Gamble, they’re on Paper + Plastick, and their first LP is about to drop on us. And they’re giving it away over on their MySpace! How ’bout that?
So, how is the album, you ask? Well, after listening to it a few times, what I’m hearing reminds me a lot of Hot Water Music. Like Fuel For The Hate Game-era Chris Wollard singing over Caution-era music. If you know me, you know I fit the Hot Water Music-loving stereotype of Punknews.org readers, so this is some pretty high praise. At various points in the album, it almost feels like you just got a bootleg of unreleased HWM tracks. Which rules.
Of course, it’s not all aping their Gainesville brethren; though, seeing as Spanish Gamble also hail from GNV FLA, one being influenced by the other makes perfect sense. They’re definitely distinct enough to not be confused for the older band. The songs here are melodic, driving, and aggressive. Over the course of 12 songs, they never let up their pace, though not at the expense of crafting a set of songs that work individually.
And did I mention catchy? These guys know how important it is to have a chorus that can be sung along to, or perhaps in this case, shouting along to in some sweaty basement club. Listen to “We Are the Restless” or “A Prescription to Your End” to see what I mean. The latter caused me to lament that my car stereo was incapable of playing the CD any louder. The song’s “There’s no way out of this alive!/There’s no way out of this at all!” chorus demands to be cranked up, with fists pumping and throats yelling.
Paper + Plastick seems to be on a winning streak with its artists, with releases from We Are the Union, the Riot Before, and No More coming this year. Spanish Gamble sets the bar high, though, with this impressive debut LP. It’s worth your time to check it out, especially since it’s, you know, free.
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