Gang of Four are back. The legendary and highly influential English post-punk band that gave us classic albums such as Entertainment! and Solid Gold haven’t delivered an original studio album since 1995, but a recent reunion that found them playing scattered shows and festivals has proven to be more fruitful than some might have anticipated, and a new LP called Content will be released soon. Listen to the terrific new song “You Don’t Have to Be Mad” right here.
Any fears of time/age diluting the GO4 package disappears the moment that Andy Gill’s taut, stapled guitar riff staggers out of your speakers—they haven’t sounded this thrillingly alive in the studio since Songs of the Free. And in case you think you’ve never even heard a Gang of Four tune before, you’d be wrong. Anyone who’s heard a song by Franz Ferdinand, Liars, Bloc Party, the Rapture, Maximo Park or Red Hot Chili Peppers knows exactly how they sound: tense, artful, funky, and urgently alive.
Gang of Four - "You Don't Have to Be Mad"
You can download it here. [Right Click > Save As...]
From Gang of Four's Jon King and Andy Gill about the new record:
“We’re emerging blinking into the light after many months locked in Andy’s studio, clutching Gang of Four’s new album: Content. Later this summer you’ll be able to buy it on download or CD. But we’re offering weirder and more wonderful options to a limited number of GO4 aficionados. What about taking a helicopter trip to this summer’s Glastonbury Festival with us? Or you might enjoy a listen to our first ever gig (recorded in Leeds in May 1977), provided to you on a cassette inside a Walkman individually decorated by Andy and Jon. A private view of an exhibition of GO4 art combined with a gig in London’s ICA this June are just some of the other possibilities... Jon & Andy”
More info on this can be found here.
