Band: The Riverboat Gamblers
Album title: Underneath The Owl
Label: Volcom Entertainment Records
Distributor: Rough Trade Benelux
Release date: 10/03/2009
Release: CD

If my counting is correct, “Underneath The Owl” must be the fifth release of this band. The Riverboat Gamblers are from Texas, US, and the music they play could best be described as a mixture of rock and punk rock. However, there are a lot of other influences in their music. I even thought I was listening to britpop when I first heard the song “The Tearjerker”.

Generally speaking, I’m not very impressed with this album. This doesn’t mean it’s all bad… In fact, there are some songs worth listening to, like “Victory Lap”, “Catastrophe” and opener “Dissdissdisskisskisskiss”. On the other hand, there are also some songs that really didn’t please me, like “The Tearjerker” (too cheesy), and “Robots May Break Your Heart” (with vibraphone).

This could be an appealing album for the fans of the genre. Bear in mind though that you might be bored with it rather quickly. It all sounds catchy and nice the first time(s), but after hearing the album some times, there isn’t a lot left to discover. I would think twice before spending my money on this one.

65/100

Kris Ketelslegers.