Minimum Rock N Roll

About

Beneath the trash-rock surface of Chain & The Gang’s latest album is a message of culture-jamming defiance that goads the listener into acts of rebellion. <i>Minimum Rock n Roll</i> is in the tradition of The Slits, Gang of Four, and similar postpunk bands of the late ‘70s, spreading its anti-establishment message through jagged guitars and throbbing beats. Frontman Ian Svenonius commands the spotlight with his droll, pouty vocals, often in tandem with the sweetly sour tones of Katie Alice Greer. The Gang’s musicianship is barebones but never indifferent, with Chris Sutton’s snaky basslines playing an especially crucial role. The chunky funk rhythms powering “Never Been Properly Loved,” “Stuck in a Box,” “Crime Don’t Pay," and similar tracks have a shambolic vitality that’s irresistible. Svenonius and company use their grooves to defy repression (“Devitalize,” “Mum’s the Word”), skewer consumerism (“Got to Have It Everyday”), and protest the overall state of the world (“Everything Worth Getting [Is Gone]”). Love songs like “I’m a Choice (Not a Child)” are just as subversive as the social commentaries.

via Apple Music

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