Gossip

It’s hard to talk about Gossip and not get side tracked on its no-holds-barred frontwoman Beth Ditto. The LGBT activist and fashion favorite has established herself as a budding cultural icon in recent years, but Ditto’s rising fame and professional diversity (she designs plus-sized clothes for UK label Evans) hasn’t affected her musical output or quality. The Washington trio’s electro-punk has evolved from a ragged aesthetic on 2000 debut, That’s Not What I Heard, to 2009’s more refined, Rick Rubin-produced Music For Men, which still manages to get dirty with a garagey, post-punk edge.

Updated 05/04/2012