Gang Of Four

Return The Gift

[5] Assuming you aren’t cemented into a turnpike on-ramp or are just hopelessly ignorant, by now you should be well familiar with Gang Of Four’s contribution to contemporary rock music. The basic components of the band’s sonic plasma — taut funk rhythms, jagged guitar scrapings and strident political invective — have always put them 20 years ahead of whatever trend is ringing cash registers at the time. Today’s recording technology has caught up with the GO4 mindset, and this revisitation of the band’s canon burns brighter than a thousand nuclear-reactor accidents. Across these 14 tracks, drummer Hugo Burnham and bassist Dave Allen maintain their reputation as rock’s finest rhythm section, while Andy Gill’s cutting guitar work (particularly on “Paralysed” and “At Home He’s A Tourist”) draws blood like a machine-shop accident and Jon King’s decades-old ruminations remain unnerving under the specter of BushCo. Knives need to be sharpened, engines need to be tuned, and missile silos need to be maintained: On Return The Gift, Gang Of Four are merely reclaiming their threat. (V2) Jason Pettigrew



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