Riverboat Gamblers Reviewed

Riverboat Gamblers

To the Confusion of Our Enemies (Volcom)

The Riverboat Gamblers have long been perennial short-listers for best live rock band in the state. The Austin quintet's performance ethic combines feral shit-shaking with nut-tight delivery in a manner that consistently leaves audiences gasping for air. Getting all that energy across on a studio recording is a tall order indeed. Although To the Confusion of Our Enemies is no substitute for a Gamblers' show, the album's souped-up, top-down sound casts a few charms in its own right. Even without the sight of vocalist Mike Wiebe swinging like a monkey from the rafters, it's easy to imagine a fist-pumping affirmation like "Don't Bury Me ... I'm Still Not Dead" faring comfortably in the sweet spot between the Foo Fighters and the Hives. Ditto for the ultra-contagious "On Again Off Again," which rides sneering, call-and-response vocals and a spaghetti-western-flavored bridge straight to the "it" button. A swirl of organ and saxophone add a hallucinatory texture to "Year of the Rooster," while the weapons-grade segue between "The Gamblers Try Their Hand at International Diplomacy" and "Walk Around Me" is a textbook example of slow-building toward chaotic release. It's all in a day's work for these prime purveyors of Friday night catharsis.