To the Confusion of Our Enemies (Volcom)
![Gamblers Gamblers](/uploads/1/2/6/3/126346227/164896014.jpg)
Reviewed by Greg Beets, Fri., April 21, 2006
Riverboat Gamblers
To the Confusion of Our Enemies (Volcom)
The Riverboat Gamblers have long been perennial short-listers for best live rock band in the state. The Austin quintet's performance ethic combines feral shit-shaking with nut-tight delivery in a manner that consistently leaves audiences gasping for air. Getting all that energy across on a studio recording is a tall order indeed. Although To the Confusion of Our Enemies is no substitute for a Gamblers' show, the album's souped-up, top-down sound casts a few charms in its own right. Even without the sight of vocalist Mike Wiebe swinging like a monkey from the rafters, it's easy to imagine a fist-pumping affirmation like 'Don't Bury Me ... I'm Still Not Dead' faring comfortably in the sweet spot between the Foo Fighters and the Hives. Ditto for the ultra-contagious 'On Again Off Again,' which rides sneering, call-and-response vocals and a spaghetti-western-flavored bridge straight to the 'it' button. A swirl of organ and saxophone add a hallucinatory texture to 'Year of the Rooster,' while the weapons-grade segue between 'The Gamblers Try Their Hand at International Diplomacy' and 'Walk Around Me' is a textbook example of slow-building toward chaotic release. It's all in a day's work for these prime purveyors of Friday night catharsis.
The Riverboat Gamblers rocked their way out of the university town of Denton, Texas, in September 2001 with the 'Jenna Is a No Show' 7'. It's unclear how the vinyl sliver was able to effectively harness the sonic fury that the Gamblers' legendary UNT.