The Problem Of Leisure

アンディ・ギル、ギャング・オブ・フォーが作曲した楽曲を新たな解釈でレコーディングした2021年リリース・ダブルアルバム、『THE PROBLEM OF LEISURE』が待望のリプレス!

ギャング・オブ・フォーの40年以上に渡るキャリアの中から厳選された楽曲を超豪華メンバーによってトリビュートした素晴らしい企画盤。元々は1979年のデビュー・アルバム『ENTERTAINMENT!』の40THアニヴァーサリーとして企画されたものの、2020年2月のアンディの逝去によって追悼アルバムとなったもの。本作には7か国4大陸からアーティストが集結しており、アンディとギャング・オブ・フォーが与えた影響の大きさを物語っています。

Its probably difficult for many contemporary music fans to appreciate how revolutionary Gang of Four sounded when they first burst out of the British post-punk scene in 1979, a time when the first wave of U.K. punk had yet to play itself out. Though the shards of expressive noise in Andy Gills guitar clearly nodded to punk, the propulsive bass and drum patterns were informed by dance music, a novel idea when disco sucks was still in the active vocabulary of most card-carrying new wave fans. At the end of the 70s, the politics inherent in rock songwriting usually meant broad sloganeering, while Go4 dealt with the trickier nexus where revolutionary theory met the realities of daily life, and did so with intelligence, blunt honesty, and mordant wit. The band enjoyed upending peoples expectations, and that tradition is kept alive with The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four, a tribute album coordinated by members of the band that was in the works well before Go4 guitarist and leader Gill died on February 1, 2020. Since this is meant (at least in part) to honor Gill as a fallen visionary, one might imagine the collection would be dominated by angular guitars and brutalist funk, favoring Gills rockist side. There are several cuts that happily go in that direction, especially the rabble-rousing interpretation of Naturals Not in It from Rage Against the Machines Tom Morello and System of a Downs Serj Tankian, a brittle take on Not Brave Men from Red Hot Chilli Peppers reprobates Flea and John Frusciante, Idles heady charge on Damaged Goods, and Helmets aggressive tear through In the Ditch. But just as often (if not more so), The Problem of Leisure favors tracks that focus on the beats instead of the guitars, with sleek but potent electronic rhythms taking the place of the fierce but more human tone or the guitars. Philosophically, this absolutely makes sense within Gang of Fours vision, which was always about groove as much as skronk, and Hotels To Hell with Poverty, Gary Numans Love Like Anthrax, and Dado Villa-Loboss Return the Gift all take their subversive messages to the dancefloor. Gail Ann Dorseys We Live as We Dream, Alone and Warpaints Paralyzed lend an organic R&B mood to the music thats more approachable without taking the edge off the messages, and the Sounds make a game attempt to reshape I Love a Man in a Uniform into new wave pop. The Problem of Leisure: A Celebration of Andy Gill and Gang of Four seems designed less as a walk down memory lane for aging leftist post-punks than a tool to make current listeners aware of Go4s ideals and legacy, and though (like most tribute albums) its broad palette makes it somewhat inconsistent, the thinking is fresh, bold, and impassioned enough that it should open the ears of both fans and novices should it cross their paths. ~ Mark Deming