Talking Politics and Nuclear Fission 3 out of 5 Stars
Shriekback started life as an aggressive and somewhat jagged dance-rock outfit with songs like "My Spine Is The Bass Line." But with each successive album, they seemed to move away from that aggro-influence a few degrees at a time. On their fifth album, "Big Night Music," they abandoned it all together.
It makes this album a curious piece of 80's history. They left the drum machines and most of the synths outside the studio and went for a more organic sound, but also made a conscious decision to be as muted as possible. Other than the opening "Black Light Trap," most of this CD fits into the 'night' part of the album's title. "Pretty Little Things" and "The Reptiles and I" are slinky and darkly low key. The album's best song, "Gunning For The Buddha," is sung from the point of view of mysterious party-hardy mercenaries. They seem almost giddy about the fact that they're on the road to perform a political hit-job.
The rest of the songs are, typically, hit and miss. The best Shreikback album remains "Oil and Gold," but if you find a copy of this used, it may be worth your 80's library.
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