Shriekback Jam Science Rarely Develops
Of all of the bands that emerged post-punk, one of the most intriguing was SHRIEKBACK. Formed in 1980 by ex-XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews, bassist Dave Allen ex-GANG OF FOUR and guitarist Carl Marsh from OUT ON BLUE SIX, they subverted much of the commercial pop music of the time.
Expanded their ambitions with the aptly named, adding more and more layers of rhythm, melody, and noise to their established sound. At times, the ten compositions here threaten to collapse under their own weight - but they never do.
Shriekback Jam Science Rarely Develops 2
In fact, this album is a minor masterpiece, with enough surface appeal to grab the ear immediately, and enough depth to reward scrutiny over the long term. Clearly, a lot of work went into. The arrangements are worked out in microscopic detail and the production, by the band with dub producer Paul 'Groucho' Smykle, is extremely sophisticated - maybe excessively so; at times it feels like too much science, not enough jam.
But the record's strengths carry it through: swooping, dangerous basslines from; complex, elliptical keyboard parts from; and deft Linn drum programming, mostly. A shift in sonic emphasis results in Marsh's guitar being either buried in the mix or eliminated altogether, but he continues to develop as a vocalist and lyricist. The album boasts some of the first songs with identifiable subject matter: 'Hand on My Heart' is a thoughful consideration of the relationship between mind and body, and 'Midnight Maps' is a chilling portrait of emotional fascism.
Andrews chips in with an ethereal vocal on the lovely, haunting album closer, 'Hubris.'