Music fans can bless and blame Gang of Four for inspiring everything from some of alt rock's most resonant moments to the most unfortunate rap-metal muck. Now is as good a time as any for the genuine article to make a return appearance with their first album of original material in 16 years. The recent wave of disco-punk has given the Four’s post-punk-funk angularity and infectious artiness a new currency, and the band doesn't fail to deliver.
For this quartet of adamantly socialistic Brits, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Their political angles and stands against hedonistic materialism are cast within enough poetic obtuseness and dance beats to make partying to their work no kind of drudgery. As with many albums, things unravel toward the 10th track. All the same, it's good to hear Gang of Four maintain their sense of adventure and elastic sense of groove.
