Gang of Four: Gang of Four (Warner Bros. EP); Tom Robinson: Sector 27 (IRS)
Roy Trakin, Musician, April 1981
THE LAST twitches of the dying Left or the first angular thrusts of the New Right? It's your Move. The Gang of Four's solemn Marxist orthodoxy is consistently contradicted by the music's irresistible pulse and vacuum-like Black Holes. Does anyone really ponder the iniquities of the competitive laissez-faire marketplace while they're getting down to 'It's Her Factory'? The tension in this British group's music arises not only from the band's very imprisonment in a system they openly criticize. How can they preach discipline and restraint while their music openly encourages the opposite?
Total word count of piece: 454