Gang of Four 'Content'

Gang of Four were one of the most inventive and exciting bands of the Post-Punk era. It's often said that their politically inspired combination of punk and funk has greatly influenced many generations of bands, from Red Hot Chili Peppers to Franz Ferdinand. I think their first album, Entertainment!, should be listened to and owned by everyone. It's thrillingly intense, loud and (of course) funky. Their next couple of albums were pretty good too, with amazing classics like the song below.

All in all, their early output is utterly fantastic.

However, when I head news of their latest album, Content, I wasn't happy. It wasn't the lack of an original line-up that upset me (but I'll talk about that in a bit), but the dread that this new album would turn one of my favourite bands from the stuff of nostalgic funky legend into a hangover of something once great. Hearing the music samples on their PledgeMusic site only concreted this fear.

I was going to write some more things, but I can't be bothered and it's too late after the release for anyone to care anyway. So here's a video of them that pisses me off for reasons I don't quite understand:

I also read an article in which Andy Gill seemed very bitter about ex-bassist Dave Allen, and that also made me angry. Maybe one day I'll find it again.

I will always have a serious soft spot in my heart for Gang of Four, but I can't help but feel it would be even softer if one of the core members died before Content was recorded.

LIFE GOES ON

Anyway, as I was too lazy to write this properly, here's something better than anything I could ever create:






YYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHH