Cityzen.tv: Album Review- Gordo Gringo (Everybody Loves The Party)

I am always nervous to find out how a new CD will affect me, or if it will at all. I took Gordo Gringo with me on the bus, to the park, and to sleep at night. What I found is that Gordo Gringo is a worthy accessory. There is nothing particularly striking about the music, no outstanding lyrics or hooks, but once it became my background, it was hard to lose and easy to miss.

Gordo Gringo is comprised of four talented guys from New York. Philip Jimines is lead vocalist, multiple instrumentalist and general noisemaker. Some might know him from his tenure as co-producer and tour-member of the pop-rock band Wheatus. Rounding out the fat white band, Don Dorman handles guitars, Orlando is the bass slinger, and Jim Mansfield happily takes on percussion. Among their various influences, Gordo Gringo count Elvis Costello and Tom Waits, as well as more modern bands The Postal Service and Phish.

This quartet functions as one tight unit, creating fourteen songs with perfect melodic and harmonic balance. Jimenez’s vocals are grating yet distinctive. The repetitious but infectious “U R Always Right!!!” is a not-half-bad pop-ditty.

Jimenez’s song writing capabilities shine through on more sophisticated tracks like the album opener, “Ghost in the Fog.” A wry social critic, he observes, “Lost city girls dream, retro rockers suck their thumb/ padded shirts flock like gulls/ to caffeine kingdom come”

Everybody Loves the Party is the group’s second full-length CD in three years. (They produced an EP in 2002). They are currently not signed to a record label; the band’s site says they are “actively pursuing the right deal.”

Perhaps because of this, the CD has a distinctly DIY feel, from the small grammatical errors to the punctuation overkill on the lyrics insert. Gordo Gringo stands to benefit from some polish and shine, but these imperfections sometimes add to their appeal.

The tracks range from the mandolin-heavy, failed relationship tune “What Are You On About????” to the angry social commentary “Wasted Life.” The exceptionally noteworthy song is the wistfully sweet “Old Suitcase.” Jimenez’s voice is a weary sigh when he delivers the lines, “I feel my heart is dry/ I only live ‘cause I don’t know how to die.”

Jimenez and his band members play their various instruments beautifully, and they are unafraid to experiment with different sounds. They utilize an extensive, eclectic collection, which includes a Casio digital guitar, dulcimer and accordion, to full effect. This wide range of sound gives them an edge up on their many peers.

Some things are slow to grow on you, but once they do, you wonder how you ever managed without. “Everybody loves the party” is one of those things. So pick it up, open it, and let it work its magic.