Whats Going On?＜限定盤＞

構成数 : 1
合計収録時間 : 01:15:14
When Normil Hawaiians started out in the late 1970s, they made unconventional post-punk songs which were still concise enough to fit on 45 rpm singles and catchy enough to receive radio airplay -- their John Peel-approved 1980 debut "The Beat Goes On" was a minor independent singles chart hit. Evolving through several lineups, the band's sound changed dramatically by the time they started recording albums, placing a greater emphasis on group improvisation and incorporating additional instruments such as violin, saxophone, and synthesizer. After the group released the sprawling 1982 double-LP More Wealth Than Money, containing multiple eight- to ten-minute tracks, they produced the even more challenging What's Going On? Creatively, this is the band's boldest, most risk-taking work, filled with unexpected tape splices and unsettling echo effects, particularly on some of the vocals. Some tracks venture toward dark, deconstructed new wave, such as "Martin," which has a strong beat but opts for introspective spoken word over singing. As with the band's other recordings, radical politics inform much of the lyrical content. On a track named after French revolutionary Louise Michel, bandmember Sue Leeves reads a striking passage of the pioneering anarchist's writing over a sparse, thudding beat, while someone sounds like he's being electrocuted in the background. "Ignorance Is Strength" ends up switching to a Beach Boys-inspired vocal arrangement midway through, interrupting a lonesome keyboard-and-guitar drift over a hobbling beat. What's Going On? demonstrates the band's revolutionary spirit and fearless sense of experimentation. ~ Paul Simpson