To the Confusion of Our Enemies
Lots of young indie bands call the music industry on its superficiality but few do it with such obvious distaste as the Riverboat Gamblers. On the feral, catchy track "The Biz Loves Slut," the Austin, Texas punk band looks at the world through the eyes of a record company suit and, well, it's brutal: "We think your songs might need a better hook/ I promise on the good book, it won't hurt/ I won't get it in your mouth."To The Confusion of Our Enemies, the group's second release, proves that no spreadsheets are required to make an album that matches passion and attitude with crafty riffs and knockout choruses. Meanwhile, freewheeling rock tracks such as "The Gamblers Try Their Hand at International Diplomacy" and "Don't Bury Me... I'm Still Not Dead"--which probably owe more to classic guitar rock heroics than the band would care to admit--reveal why Riverboat Gamblers was named by no less authority thanRolling Stoneas one of the "Top 5 bands to break out at this year's SXSW."--Aidin Vaziri