Since their breakthrough in the mid-2010s,
Sleaford Mods
have remained as prolific as they are angry. Along with releasing a slew of albums, they issued enough singles, EPs, and rarities to fill out their own ample compilation.
All That Glue
, a roughly chronological set of album tracks, B-sides, and more that spans seven years of the
Mods
' career, isn't a greatest hits or odds 'n' sods collection in the strictest sense of either, but it does speak to the consistency of
Jason Williamson
and
Andrew Fearn
's music. The better-known tracks here still brim with the fury and humor that propelled the duo out of obscurity. "McFlurry" -- which comes from 2014's
Austerity Dogs
, one of two breakthrough albums
released that year -- is a potent reminder of how prescient they were, with
Williamson
railing against Boris Johnson over the gritty, low-slung beats and bass that became their trademark. "Tweet Tweet Tweet," taken from their other brilliant 2014 full-length
Divide and Exit
, remains one of the duo's most musical and relevant songs in its spooky evocation of social media paranoia and loathing.
ably balances the more colorful, playful side of
' music -- exemplified by songs like 2016's anti-nostalgia rant "TCR" and "Jobseeker," where
Fearn
channel their rage into a gleefully snarky anthem -- as well as its starker, darker side with tracks such as
Key Markets
' lumbering "Tarantula Deadly Cargo," a harbinger of the numbed, narcotic feel that dominated the duo's late-2010s releases. The collection's more obscure songs are just as potent. "Second," a previously unreleased, bare-bones takedown of consumerism, and "Snake It," which uses a police whistle as one of its few melodic elements, are great examples of how
pare down their music to its leanest and meanest essence. "Fizzy," a 2014 single full of cathartic vitriol that borders on the poetic ("I worked my dreams off for two bits of ravioli"), is as vital as anything that appeared on
or
. On "Blog Maggot,"
communicates as much scorn with the furious gibberish in the song's chorus as he does with his jabs at
Ed Sheeran
Chris Martin
. A fine showcase for how
boil down punk and hip-hop's frustration into eloquent outrage and anger,
helps the converted and newcomers alike play catch-up. ~ Heather Phares