Anti Nasty League - Fan Reviews Thread

[payback3000]

Hi all, It's coming soon...so post your intial reaction reviews or considered, chin stroking opinions here. I'll kick off with a review. I confess to having this on repeat since last year (the promo was pulled quite late in the day when it was decided to hold it back for release until 2015) so this is no knee jerk reaction. If this was on cassette it would be worn out by now...




Over a decade on since the 2015 Reformation tour one thing has become very clear. For founder PWEI member Graham Crabb, this continuation of the band is no nostalgia trip or cash cow. Pop Will Eat Itself have lost none of there energy, edge or drive for this long player. After the bumpy road that lead to 2011’s debut by the new line, up it’s also clear they have raised their game considerably. 2014’s excellent releases by the band – the ‘Watch the Bitch Blow’ EP and the ‘Funk Fifa’ single - heightened expectations of this new studio LP with fans. There is no let up in quality of the material here, either in terms of songwriting or production. The PWEI team build on the style of the WTBB tracks with a warm, bass heavy sound and a depth to the mix that reveals more on each listen.

There is a renewed confidence to the writing here as well. Lyrically the album is packed with all the tracks being heavy on the vocals in contrast to the some of the previous LP’s sparse word bites and instrumental heavy arrangements. Crabbi & Mary are on fire here and pull no punches railing against bugbears from the state of the current music industry model (‘Digital Meltdown’) to the worrying resurgence of right wing politics and ongoing economic injustice. There is also nod to the unstoppable march of time here addressed with humour as well as melancholy (‘Digital Meltdown’ again, ‘Set Sail For Death’). Yes there’s some pretty reflective stuff here that may surprise some fans and a sense of finality to some of the writing that’s pretty dark. That’s not to say there’s no room to breath here. The album is strewn with inventive riffs, solo’s, keys and effects in between the brilliant lyrics.

Musically, whilst there is that unmistakable ‘PWEI’ sound to the tracks, there is also a call back to the original punk sound and the post punk sound of the early 80’s. The spirit of the Clash lives on in opener ‘21st Century Civil War’ and the guitars of ‘Middle Eastern Street Party’ have a wonderful Banshees / Cure flavour to them. I wonder if the reflective mood of some of the album has also come through in the influences that a youthful Crabbi soaked up before embarking on, and during the Pop Will Eat Itself journey? Add a fat bottom end, sci fi synths, dub echoes and heavy drums and you have one hell of a soundscape here.

Hand on heart there is no filler here. From start to finish this is a classic PWEI album full of wit and wisdom and killer music. What’s stuck with me about this one is the added depth and atmosphere to some of the tracks. ‘King Kisser’ stands as my current favourite. It’s a really beautiful, deep track with hints of the psychedelic & progressive sounds that also crept into 2014’s Hollow. To cap it all, album closer ‘Directors Cut’ is set to destroy the mosh pit at the upcoming shows with its epic arrangement.

PWEI deserve much respect and success for pulling this off when they could just give up in the face of the odds against them (and many other artists) in today’s music industry – a lot of hard graft has been put in and it’s paid off...

[The_LHC]

[Hunts]

Oh man...I'm fizzing at the bung for this one...

[kwvp]

Great review!

[matt]

Perhaps this isn't the right place, but I've just stumbled across this:

http://uberrock.co.uk/cd-reviews/24-apr ... eased.html

[kwvp]

[TheFinkie]

Just ordered deluxe edition (3CD), and download has completed! Review will follow in a couple of days, once I've had a few listens.

[bronxzoo]

listening to it at the mo, sounds fantastic!!! i'll review it after a few listens

[acidpits]

Here's my review.

I played Angry Man's Deathbed to my girlfriend and she said "I really want to do a striptease for you to this"

Score: 10/10

[kwvp]