Another CD bought in Falmouth, just getting an airing for the first time (Little spoiler - for a completely new one I normally listen through once, and write this during a second listen).
I'm not too familiar with this period of Pere Ubu, being far more familiar with the 1970s 'punk' band and the 'avant-garage' of this century.
Right from the start, it's not what I was expecting. There's the angry, early punk stuff, there's the strange falsetto David Thomas, and there's the haunting themes of more recent work, but this is mostly short, traditional pop songs, where Thomas sings rather than intones. Oh Catherine and I Hear They Smoke The Barbeque rock along merrily, and it's not until Turpentine that there's the more angular, experimental sound you'd expect from Pere Ubu. But in Goodnite Irene and Mirror Man it's back to a well constructed pop/rock sound, with a bit of a slowdown for Cry Cry Cry. There's an almost disco beat for Worlds In Collision (with an awkward mid verse pause to make dancers fall over). Life Of Riley sounds much more recognisable Pere Ubu, Thomas singing / speaking at the top of his range. Over The Moon, Don't Look Back and Playback continue the mainstream sound. The final two tracks are a little more Pere Ubu, with a rock'n'roll style Nobody Knows, and the slower, haunting Winter In The Firelands.
This is a decent album, very listenable, but perhaps not what you listen to Pere Ubu for. There seems little of the experimentation or menace of many other releases.
3* - a good rock album, something you probably wouldn't expect from Pere Ubu
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