All or Nothing

Shopping has such a clearly defined sound -- spiky melodies, spring-loaded basslines, rhythms that just wont quit -- that small changes make a big impact. While All or Nothing continues the move toward a more polished style that Rachel Aggs, Billy Easter, and Andrew Milk began with The Official Body, the two albums couldnt be more different. Arriving in the gloomy climate of the late 2010s, Body rejected the eras pessimism with brisk beats and heartfelt songs that generated light and warmth. With this album, Shopping begins the 2020s with a much colder style, an interesting, if not always successful, choice for such a passionate band. Though All or Nothings title mocks high-stakes ambition, the album is certainly cleaner and tighter-sounding than any of the trios previous music. Taking inspiration from house and industrial music and Talking Heads, Shopping brings the precision of their playing to the fore on songs that, aptly enough, explore the impersonality of 21st century life. Its an approach that works well on Follow Me, which cleverly blurs the line between social media sharing and surveillance-state paranoia, and on For Your Pleasure, where icy repetition and vintage 80s synths fit its mindless hedonism perfectly. Many of All or Nothings pleasures are on the technical side. Its satisfying to hear the parts of their music bounce off of each other -- or click together -- on the nagging earworm Trust in Us or Expert Advice, a dazzling musical expression of information overload. Likewise, the shapes of All or Nothings songs echo their messages in inspired ways. On the excellent Initiative, the synths and backing vocals on the chorus are headed straight to the top; on About You, meditations on self-sabotage form a vicious circle, nearing The Official Bodys emotional depth in the process. ~ Heather Phares

『The Official Body』(2018年)に引き続き、プロデューサーにエドウィン・コリンズを迎えた4作目のアルバム。ロンドンからグラスゴーに拠点を移した男女3人組がここで挑むのは、ニューウェイヴの誕生さえも再現するポスト・パンク・サウンドの拡張だ。〈ポジティヴ・パンク〉なんて言葉も頭をよぎる、呪術的かつ原始的に打ち鳴らされるビートは、シンセの音色も纏いながら、やがてファンキーに跳ねはじめる!
bounce (C)山口智男