Album Review: The Gentry – ‘Sex by the Unit’

Sex by the Unit, by Portland’s The Gentry, danceable fusion-electro rockers, opens with a 10 note tease of down tempo electro-beats, warns you with a tempered siren, launches into a hard hitting blend of meta-influenced electro rock that grabs your attention and body. The opening title song is fueled by the signature driving guitar, beautifully integrated electro-keyboard work, lugubrious bass and driving rhythm punctuated glorious, hi-hat speed work, the lyrics insightfully snarl and bite at pop culture on a rich, soaring and seductive vocal. It only gets better from here.

The Gentry – Sex by the Unit – Official Video

Awkwardness! Opens with big driving drums, a distorted loose bass line, synth bass followed by guitar then powerful vocal that channels both earlier electro-rock influences as well as power groups like Zeppelin. This is as straightforward rock and roll as any one makes, electro punk to the highest degree, and my favorite new road tune.

As indicated by the title and evidenced by lyrics, many of the songs comment on sex’s pervasive influence and representation in our culture, however, they aren’t gratuitously perverse or lewd. Nonetheless Gino Mari’s voice evokes a strong sense of longing and desire that is downright sexy. The provocative, gold foil packet resembles the condom wrapper of the gods, and even requires similar ripping action to gain access to the contents. It’s a very clever, very attractive conversation piece. Mine currently sits on my coffee table sparking some interesting topics and tangents in conversation.

The Gentry boast a depth of influences that reads like a who’s who of electro influenced rock from the 1970s to present. Clearly they have been paying attention, yet they have synthesized their own sound, despite a strong similarity in Mari’s rich and emotive voice to that of Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan that begs obvious comparison and demands your attention. Musically, this is one tight operating and creating unit; they focus attention on the band by smoothly transitioning through lead hand-offs. The music is powerful, an onslaught, every musical phrase polished to perfection. Mari and Jeremy Dan proficiently swap pedal-twisted, guitar licks, allowing sound designer and keyboardist Steve Taylor skillfully craft an underlying soundscape that is powered (and I mean powered) by drummer AC.

Pulling an Elvis is a pseudo–futuristic, soldier of pop culture anthem complete with program-drum marching orders and “peer speak” references stridently riding over both live and programmed beats for an interesting and upbeat tongue in cheek poke at mass media driven society. Something New finishes the disc strong with a modern torch song of sorts driven along on a slick guitar hook and finishing almost sweetly leaving you craving your Gentry fix. I’ll confess, I pressed replay the first time.

At just under 30 minutes, Sex by the Unit, more than an EP, less than a disc, is a regular modern rock barn burner for an afternoon commute as the balance of the disc flows smoothly over a synth powered rock surface, or you can immerse yourself in the lyrical content. Pointing to one cut or another is useless as they are all intelligent, rocking and entertaining tracks. I have had the pleasure to see them live a few times, and they are a dead-on live act when comparing to as this well mixed and produced CD. I fully endorse checking them out, and have included a few dates you can see them as the summer winds down.

August 6th, 2010 – Salem, OR – Flipside Nightclub (tickets here)
August 20th, 2010 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios (tickets here)