Check out Gossip's latest single, 'Perfect World.'
Eclectic dance-punk trio Gossip, fronted by the fearless and stylish chanteuse Beth Ditto, are pretty much incredible on their own ("Standing in the Way of Control"? "Heavy Cross"? Exactly!). Now that they're paired up with super-genius pop-soul producer Mark Ronson and dance-pop magnate Brian Higgins, though? Well, the world just got a little bit more perfect.
Listen to Gossip's "Perfect World" after the jump.
For their last album, 2009's Music for Men, Gossip worked with legendary record exec Rick Rubin. But for their upcoming LP, A Joyful Noise, they've picked two incredible new producers: Mark Ronson, the DJ, guitarist, producer and all-around badass who famously honed Amy Winehouse's signature sound on Black to Black, and Brian Higgins of the British production house Xenomania (Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud, Pet Shop Boys), who also cowrote "Believe" by Cher (which we can all agree is literally the greatest pop song of all time). Unsurprisingly, Gossip's first single with these crackerjack collaborators doesn't disappoint, with a synth-heavy pop sensibility. "Perfect World" has some signature Gossip aggression, with Beth Ditto's piercingly soaring gospel-inflected vocals pinned to Brace Paine's tensely strummed guitars. But the chorus melody is the real killer, as Beth dreams of a utopia she can't hold onto: "I been wishing/ Hoping you'd listen/ Be my accomplice," she breathes, before letting her enormously powerful voice explode. "In the picture perfect world/ We can be more than befo-o-o-ore/ Said it was/ I made it stronger," she sings, giving us a big angry-dance moment tempered by wistful sadness.
Gossip's upcoming LP should feature more cuts courtesy of Mark Ronson and Brian Higgins. So what if we don't really know whether to expect Phil Spector-esque retro-pop or futuristic electro-house? While we wait to find out, "Perfect World" is a more-than-worthy piece of seriously soulful ear candy.
+ Listen to Gossip's "Perfect World."
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