On one hand, it's refreshing that
the Pop Group
have returned to action sounding nearly as volatile as they did in 1980. On the other, it's more than a bit depressing that so much of the injustice and madness they ranted about back in the day is still recognizable in our daily lives more than three decades later. The 21st century edition of
--
Mark Stewart
on vocals,
Gareth Sager
on guitar and keyboards,
Dan Catsis
on bass, and
Bruce Smith
on drums -- made a memorable return to the recording studio on 2015's
Citizen Zombie
, and 20 months later, they return with another studio effort, 2016's
Honeymoon on Mars
. The album sees
working with a production dream team -- seven tracks were created with the studio assistance of U.K. dub master
Dennis Bovell
(who worked on the group's classic early recordings), while the other three find the band working with
Hank Shocklee
, the hip-hop mastermind behind
Public Enemy
's most explosive sides. Given the talent behind the boards here, it's a bit surprising that
sounds as open and clear as it does. The music often sounds jagged and harsh in the true
Pop Group
manner, with metallic sheets of guitar and thick, clanking basslines. But the arrangements and production play up the dynamics, with plenty of open space between the notes.
Bovell
's tracks are full of the echo and sonic manipulation that are the hallmark of his best production work, but without their usual depth and sense of size. Meanwhile,
Shocklee
's contributions boast an impressive air of menace, but they're short on the dense layers of aural chaos that exploded throughout his most celebrated sessions.
doesn't sound as heavy and punishing as
's best work, but the bellow of
Stewart
's vocals is as distinct and furious as ever, and his fiery proclamations on our culture and the people who control it are loaded with all the venom one could hope for. And even in its stripped-down form here,
's music still boasts plenty of edge and fire.
isn't up to the level of
's finest recordings, but it's still punk/funk agit-prop that's fearless and unafraid to strike, and if anything, their brand of troublemaking is more deeply needed now than ever before. ~ Mark Deming