I hate feeling the like the joke is on me.  I’m sure I share that feeling with a lot of folks.  So when I bought Pop Group’s first record, I expected some things (of course):

1. A lot of funk/punk
2. Screaming vocals about politics/whatever
3. Noise over rhythm

What I got was a completely bizarre mash-up of James Chance, The Fall and Pere Ubu…on the first two tracks. The rest of the album…well…can’t you tell by my over-use of ellipsis that I am a little non-plussed?

This is a record that tries too hard to be fragmented, if that makes any sense. I have trumpeted bands that destroy the code of order inherent in rock and roll, but even I have a breaking point. Listen to three tracks on this album: The first two, “She is Beyond Good and Evil” and “Thief of Fire”, as well as the fifth track “We Are Time.” They boast awesome rhythm sections and tangled guitars, as Mark Stewart’s vocals dance in and out of the mix.

On the boards is reputed dub producer Dennis Bovell (he produced the Slit’s debut as well), who does his best to make sense of the detritus that litters the rest of the album. Boring, “experimental” music fills the holes on this record. I really can’t stand when a band doesn’t have any ideas and decides aimless improv is good enough.

Of course, resident hack review of Allmusic.com John Dougan gives the record a bizarre 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for apparently no reason. In the age of iPod and short attention spans, this record has fallen to the wayside. Blah.