It’s been more than 15 years since the original lineup of groundbreaking British rock act Gang of Four has released new material, but the foursome has been busy since getting back together to rerecord old tracks for 2005’s "Return the Gift."
The crew has been recording in guitarist Andy Gill’s London studio on and off to complete a set for self-release this year.
"When we first got back together a couple years ago, doing the ‘reunion’ part of touring and all that, we resisted making new material. We had the fear that we weren’t ready, that it had been a too long a time for people to care," bassist Dave Allen tells Billboard.com. "Then we realized we had a lot of fun together — more than we thought we would."
Sadly, drummer Hugo Burnham is sitting out the sessions due to unnamed health issues. "Hugo’s still involved in some ways, but it’s a very personal issue that will be discussed at a later date," Allen says.
Writing began last November in Instanbul, and the group plans to reconvene on and off throughout the spring with an eye on a June album release. "So far, [the new songs] aren’t a huge departure from what we’ve done before," he says. "The biggest surprise is that we’ve been capable getting back to our roots. A whole bunch that we’ve done sounds like [1979’s] ‘Entertainment!’. It’s more aggressive, more angular. People might also be intrigued that [singer] Jon [King] is singing better than he ever did."
Gang Of Four was as well known in the post-punk era for its funk-tinged sound as its political lyrics. Allen says the new songs’ lyrics will continue to utilize the "personal as politics" bent, though, as always, "we never print the issues out in black and white."
"I recently looked around the music landscape, and there’s no one out there doing anything about issues," says Allen, who uses his Pampelmoose.com site to discuss music and post MP3s. "What I’m really getting at is that we have on our hands a global conflict."
"Rock music has lost its way," he continues. "People used to be speaking out in the arts in other place, but in the last 15 years, all the artists have become pro-everything. Rock ceded our voice to underground hip-hop, speaking out about social issues and American hegemony, but now even that’s gone."
Gang Of Four is without a label deal at the moment, leaving open a variety of possibilities for the release of new music.
Source Billboard
