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10,9,8,... |
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10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
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10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 |
Intricately produced and mostly well-written, this is probably the band's biggest artistic statement. There are a lot of tunes with memorable choruses and exciting dynamics, like "Short Memory," carried by some great 6/8-time guitar arpeggios; the jangly, foot-stomping "Read About It" and "US Forces"; and the vaguely 50's-ish slow-dance number "Tin Legs And Tin Mines." And it's wrapped in an early 80's New Wave sound that just toes the line between post-punk aggressiveness and self-conscious electronic gimmick-mongering, with a lot of nasty, distorted guitars ("Only The Strong") and squiggly, ominous synth ("Ominous World"). For the first time you also hear crafted political lyrics on every track. It all comes together on the single "Power And The Passion," one of the few rock recordings ever to make intelligent use of spare funk bass lines and tinny 80's synth drums (elsewhere the drums do detract from the sound). There's little to complain about: Garrett screams his head off a bit too often, and six minutes of the sprawling, over-indulgent "Scream In Blue" are six too many. But if you take the time to listen to the record carefully you'll be glad you did. From this point on all of the band's albums were hugely popular in Australia, but it took a while for them to really get a foothold elsewhere.
Rating: ****1/2
Reviewer: John Alroy