Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Enemies Like These

This week marks the return of Radio 4. Their new album Enemies Like These hits stores today. I am a huge fan of 2002's Gotham!, where the band's tough, political disco punk was helmed by the then up and coming DFA. It rocked and was pretty funktastic. They followed it up with 2004's Stealing Of A Nation where they decided to focus on the dance element of their sound. This meant a glossed out production sheen, lots of electronics, and very little of their tough-as-nails edge. I had high hopes and ended up pretty disappointed. Then about a month ago I heard about a new record coming, and that it was produced by Jagz Kooner. This had me psyched - dude was a Sabre Of Paradise! In the Aloof! Produced Primal Scream! Well, I've played the new record twice, and am happy to report that it sounds like a return to form. That is to say, it is a return to the harder edge of Gotham! with only a few softer moments. I like what I'm hearing. Here's As Far As The Eye Can See - pumping disco beat, great percussion, fab bassline, lots of scratchy guitars and not too much gloss. Jagz gets the balance right.

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