Everything What We Recorded is one of the rare breed of EPs that provide listeners with a solid sense the band’s influences and repertoire. Hammer & Nails is the first track on this EP, and it brings a catchy melody to the fore. The band works together in an incredibly tight fashion, with the vocals, drums, and guitars uniting to make for something that is decidedly greater than the sum of its parts. Too Much Good Times has a more angular feel it with, with Gumshen tying together mid-nineties alternative rock to the work of The Cars or Foghat. Jag It Up is a slower effort, and I believe it is a vital; inclusion as it starts shuffling into a disco-cum-funk beat. Any one of the 7 tracks on the Everything What We Recorded EP would be a perfect addition to radio rotation, and Jag It Up is a perfect example of this. With a brief nod to the Talking Heads and Devo, this clomping and stomping cut will burrow itself deeply into the minds and hearts of anyone listening in.
The EP ends with Say What You Want, a track that tells more in the 20 or so seconds before the vocals begin. The eclectic and dense arrangement that sets off this track is threaded through the entirety of the runtime. I feel that listeners will need to put this track on repeat to get some semblance of the largeness of the arrangement’s addition to the track. Opening into a rap-esque vocal delivery, Say What You Want is a great step forward for Gumshen. Everything What We Recorded will be a great introduction of Gumshen to fans; make sure to see the band live whenever they make it to a city near you.
Top Tracks: Hammer & Nails, Every Drop of Rain
Rating: 8.1/10
Gumshen – Everything What We Recorded (CD) / 2012 Self / 7 Tracks / http://www.gumshen.com