GANG OF FOUR

Content

[Yep Roc]

Gang of Four roared out of the chute more than three decades ago with Entertainment!, one of the post-punk era’s finest albums. A prime influence on the alternative-rock crowd, the British quartet framed punk’s subversive spirit in jagged rhythms and shards of staccato riffs. Remarkably, the group’s first album of new material since reuniting in 2004 picks up right where its early work left off. Armed with sturdy melodies, the band (led by original members Jon King and Andy Gill) unleashes angular, rhythmically sophisticated guitar-pop tinged with noise-band abrasiveness. “She Said” is a searing fuzz rocker fueled by a pulsating electronic beat, “Who Am I” sports a funk-based melody and “You Don’t Have to Be Mad” is a Stooges-like rocker powered by brittle slabs of guitar that steer just this side of industrial. While making no concessions to current fashion, Gang of Four sounds just as contemporary as it did three decades ago. –Russell Hall