By Jack Daniel Betz

It sits in an inconspicuous location on a rough stretch of West 20th flanked by a series of aging dive bars, ice houses, and warehouses to its right and Apple pest control company to its left. From the outside it looks like a newly constructed office park or maybe a nice warehouse, but on the inside it looks much more like the chic residence of some wealthy Houstonian tycoon. It’s actually Houston’s newest recording studio.

Operations like Wire Road and 226 Recordings (also in the Heights) are changing the way musicians interact with their recording environments. Now more studios are affording musicians comfort and utility all in one, possibly making recording less of a chore than it already is for many.

The interior, unlike many professional studios, is anything but minimalist. In fact, if anything, it’s even nicer than a home. Maybe it would be better to describe it as a cozy museum with exhaustive recess lighting and hardwood floors. There are even modern, hotel-quality bathrooms with spacious showers, suggesting that Wire Road wouldn’t be a bad place to do a long night of recording.

Last Sunday, the studio opened its doors to the public for the first time. Dinner and drinks were served in tents in front of the studio while guests were able to listen to artists recording live inside. Guest were treated to brief sets by Hazy Ray, Trucker’s Choice, and Mantis who already have laid down tracks at Wire Road. Guided tours revealed to attendees two storeys, three recording areas, a mastering room, a kitchen, a well-manicured backyard/patio, video editing facilities and a conference room.

The facility was designed by world-renown architect Russ Berger who has designed recording studios all over the country including for clients such as NFL Films. The entire project, started in 2024, was the brainchild of producer James Kelley and his father Byron Kelley. It’s been quietly operational for the last two months but now that it’s finally publicly open there’s no telling what kind of talent it will attract.

By Jack Daniel Betz

The venerable Dick Dale is visiting H-town tonight, once again, but this time he’s playing at a far less annoying venue: The Continental Club. The last time Dale visited was about a year and a half ago at the House of Blues which was a hard sell, even to a diehard fan like myself.

There will be the inevitable question from some of, “who is Dick Dale?” and to that I answer, an American, surf-rock, treasure, paralleled by none. To those people ignorant of Dick Dale’s greatness, I usually pose the question, “Have you seen Pulp Fiction?” and they’ll normally nod yes. I’ll continue, “Remember that bad ass opening song right after the robbery starts?” and then the mental gears will start to turn and there will be an unmistakeable look upon his or her face of, “Oh yeah, I see, he’s the shit.”

Dale has a varied history of rockabilly, gypsy, and proto-metal music that goes back as far as 1959. He started off playing catchy pop ditties about drag racing and cars but eventually became known more for his scorching tremolo picking and reverb-laden guitar work. You can still get tickets here. I hope I can still shred that hard at 74.

-Jack Daniel Betz

Lyrically-driven, Houston hip-hop artist, Thurogood Wordsmith is active once again after taking a short hiatus. Last week I sat down and asked him a few questions about his past, his present work, and what he has planned for the future.

You can download his first EP, “The Appetizer“, for free.

FPH: I heard about you from Mic Skills Mission Control Compilation, tell me what you’ve done since you’ve started?

TW: I started rappin’ in 2024 and I released some mixtapes and than some mix tap style songs after that. And it was unofficial and self-titled. It was about 12-15 songs and I released about 500 of those. I got some considerable attention off of that and it got me into the rap scene and into knowing other producers, promoters, and writers, things of that nature. So that was kind of my intro and then I just released- it’s been a long time since I released something- my EP in November 2024. So in between those times, I’ve released some songs but I did take a little hiatus and now I’m back and going strong again. I plan on releasing my followup. My EP was “The Appetizer” and that was basically a followup to “Brass Knuckle Sandwich”.

FPH: I’ve been looking through that EP and playing it online the past couple days and I’m definitely going to buy it-

TW: It’s actually free now. I wanted it to be more informal, like leave a tip if you want to leave a tip but through that band camp site more like ‘Oh, well I should buy it’ and I want people to download it and just have it on their computers and iPods and burn it onto discs. I thought it would be more a leave of a tip kind of deal and it wasn’t and that’s why it’s free now.

FPH: People would pay for it but I think more people will pass it around this way.

TW: Exactly. Right. And I’m still trying to build a buzz you know and you know how everything in the music industry as changed. You have to build a name for yourself and people are going to expect things for free, especially in hip hop.

FPH: I first heard about you on Mic Skills’ “Mission Control” Compilation with “Brass knuckle sandwich”. Tell me what you’re up to now.

TW: “Brass Knuckle Sandwich” the song, right? Because now I’m doing an album called “Brass Knuckle Sandwich”. That’s the idea was born, when I did that Mic Skills song but first I released “The Appetizer”. Now we’re moving onto the full course meal, if you will. It will be a full LP.

FPH: I’ve noticed that you and a lot of recent Houston hip-hop artists have been shying away from using a ridiculous amount of post-production and auto-tuning and stuff like that.

TW: I think that’s born out of my taste in music and the producers I work with. I gotta give a lot of credit to James Kelly and we started working together around the same time that “Mission Control” compilation came out. We recorded it and produced “Brass Knuckle Sandwich” out of his house. A few months ago he moved to the Heights into this state of the art studio. It is beautiful. It’s the best studio I’ve seen in Houston. I don’t think any other place in Houston can touch it right now.

You know, I thought it was cool when Roger and Zapp did it but it was more like talk box with like a tube in their mouth. Auto-tune is cool I guess. I remember when “I’m in love with stripper” came out I was like, I can see why this is catchy but I don’t like to follow trends, I like to be original. Whoever I’m inspired by, I don’t want to rip them off I just would rather be inspired and come up with something that can inspire someone else. That’s kind of why I stay away from lots of post-production effects, especially vocally. I’m also very lyrcially driven. One of my very favorite artists is Bob Dylan and I couldn’t image him with auto-tune on his voice.

FPH: [laughter] He might need it nowadays but-

TW: [laughter] Yeah, a lot of people might not agree with me but he’s such a great story teller and his words are always- bring out a lot of vivid imagery to me. That’s what I always like.

FPH: I agree and it’s really the same for your stuff. It’s really the lyrics that carry it.

TW: Right. And James was just getting into hip-hop at the time and him and I got together- I’ve helped him build a clientele and he’s done most of the work but he’s worked with a lot of other artists. Mixing and mastering for Hollywood Floss, for The Niceguys, Hashbrown. Actually James is doing the whole EP for The Niceguys comin’ up. It’s called the “The James Kelly EP” and it’s going to be all his production.

“Brass Knuckle Sandwich” is going to be that much better because it’s going to be on par- you know what I’m saying? The production’s just as good as the lyrics and vice versa. But I think what’s wrong with hip-hop- not what’s wrong with it I guess, just some of the trends I don’t like are that it’s become so over-produced and popular rap has just become a money-making machine because it’s like I can just picture some cheesy record executive in a leather jacket with some huge production staff. Like a Lou Pearlman kind of guy saying, “Yeah, that’s it! We just need to get a fresh-faced kid on it.”

FPH: You’re lyrics are normally front and center as opposed to the lyrics and at of your lyrics have the narrative aspect to it. All my favorite hip-hop includes story-telling. Some of it lately has become so repetitive that it’s like bad house music- and I like some house too but you can’t just trade the story telling in for something else.

TW: Yeah, hip-hop has become so different than what it was been born out of and I try to keep my music as authentic as when hip-hop first came out. I want it to be narritive, a representation of an independent person and artist that’s really driven by their music. I’m inspired by making music so I don’t want it to sound like a house song that’s just a flash-in-the-pan. Like the song “Dream Chaser” off “The Appetizer” that song is probably my biggest story-telling style song. That song is about this chick that used to live next to me in my apartment complex and she was a party girl. She was on some reality show- I think it was “Paris Hilton is my new BFF” and I was kind of like- she was always cool and an attractive young woman. We’d have some drinks and kick it and she’d always have these sugar daddies all over the place and I wouldn’t judge her about it. But I always thought I should tell her to be careful even though I never did. But I was coming home one day and there was an ambulance and she was being carried off on a stretcher and I wrote that song right there and it was really about her. I always think of her on that stretcher when I hear that song. But unlike “Dream Chaser” she did end up living through that but when I wrote that I didn’t know what was going to happen to her so- you know. I just wrote her off like a soap opera character.

“A.M.” gets the most play off of the stuff on my “Appetizer” EP and I’m gonna shoot a video for it this month so that’s probably my freshest song and has the most appeal but I think “Dream Chaser” cuts a little bit deeper. And I think that a lot of hip-hop albums today are missing missing those deep cut tracks and that are just being promoted all the time and are album tracks. They don’t need videos necessarily and are the glue that holds the album together.

FPH: Right. It’s definitely something that every other genre is experiencing right now as the record industry gets more and more aggressive. There’s kind of less of an emphasis on album oriented anything anymore whether it’s rock, hip-hop, or even country.

TW: Yeah. These records execs want to sell ringtones instead of albums really.

FPH: What’s it like as a white guy doing this? Do you think it’s any different?

TW: Um, you know I would know what it’s like to be a black guy doing this so- [laughter]

It’s fun for me. I think nowadays it’s overlooked. I don’t think people focus on “Oh, it’s a white guy.” People notice it of course but a lot people who haven’t seen me live are like, “Oh, you’re white?” and I’m like, “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” [laughter] But for me it’s fun and it helps me in some ways and it hurts me in some ways. People are always gonna draw the comparison to Eminem and I think that’s just what people do when they don’t have much knowledge about it. They hear my lyrics and they’re like, “Oh! He’s lyrical like Eminem,” but you know-

FPH: Which is ridiculous. There’s nothing about you that reminds me of Eminem.

TW: when I hear that- I used to hear that a lot more, like I said I started in 07 and now I get way more love. I know I’m better artist now but that’s just because of time. I have a good friend, she’s an African American female MC and she spits and she’s real talented but she kind of faces some of the same stuff that I do. People might look at you and underestimate you but in that underestimation is actually an advantage because you have the element of surprise. They don’t expect much so I always win people over. At live shows, it definitely helps.

FPH: Maybe it’s not that they’re expecting less, but-

TW: I mean there’re some whack white rappers and- I mean there’s a stigma to a white rapper, like Malibu’s Most Wanted. People look at that and some stereotypes exist for a reason.

FPH: Yeah, I know what you mean. Somewhere along the line someone affirmed that stereotype, whether or not it’s actually representative.

TW: But there’s a lot of dope white MC’s nowadays, especially here in Houston. It’s always going to be an element to be discussed. I’ll never be that guy, the white guy with a chip on my shoulder. Like, “What are you sayin’ man?!” I never thought I’d be a rapper. I would have laughed if you told me I was going to be a rapper.

FPH: I just figured I’d ask because I’m sure that enters into it somewhere even though it’s obviously irrelevant now.

TW: Yeah. It’s a fair question and it’s probably be something I’ll be answering for my whole career.

By Jack Daniel Betz

Although not nearly as well-attended as Austin’s SXSW festival, The Super Happy Fun Land SXSW Overflow series has been providing bands from all over the world gigs here in Houston for the past two weeks. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night were especially lively, despite the disappointing turn out.

MARCH 21
Monday night was packed with bands but I only made the second half of the show. The first band that went on was the moody, Swiss noise band Disco Doom. Thunderous guitar and mysteriously oblique vocals marked the performance. The guitar player succeeded gloriously at moments in channeling a Thurston Moore-like tone and rhythm. Then Boston punk band Grass is Green took the stage. Playing with various tempos and well-calculated dissonance GiG came across as worthy heirs to DC punk acts like Fugazi and even at times Bostonians Mission of Burma. Ending the night was another Boston band Visions whose music relied heavily on haunting lap steel tones and highly emotional lyrics. There were echoes of Ben Gibbard’s vocal-style but they were markedly more effeminate.

MARCH 22
Tuesday was kicked off by Conroe punk outfit Vigilante. The band’s sound rested somewhere in between The Stooges and Joan Jett and benefited highly from a stellar female vocalist. Korean rock band Apollo 18 played an amazing set full of metal riffs, psychedelic solos, and every rock influenced playing-style in between. Their raw style is reminiscent of a heavier, screamier Electric Eel Shock. It was an honor to have them on our continent. The last band up was an explosive Nevada punk act called Vampirates. It’s difficult to describe the sound but there was a lot of dancing, a lot of headbanging, and a lot of shredding.

MARCH 23
Tennessee funk band Space Capone ripped it up at the beginning of the night pulling out all the disco stops with bongos, keys, and soulful falsetto. Dakota Belle Wit, clad in mermaid attire, took the stage to perform some narrative ukulele ballads.  Zoe Boekbinder went up next sporting a vocal style that deftly combines Billie Holiday and Leslie Feist. Her act was particularly interesting given her use of looping and delay. Plus, she was cute as hell. Singer-songwriter duo East Cackalacky Ascetic Marching Death Band played a variety of folksy tunes including a brilliant cover of Black Sabbath’s “Sweet Leaf” on acoustic guitar and musical saw. Mal Blum & Simon Littlejohn were, what I thought, was the last band. The duo played some of the sweetest, sentimental, songs I’ve ever heard. Blum’s warbling voice was even occasional accompanied by the dreamy tones of a metallophone played by Littlejohn.
There was also a surprise noise/performance art act by Houstonian David Larry Carol (Black Magic Marker) depicting the passion of Christ in three parts. Carol’s art is jarringly raw and at times even scary but is ultimately, according to Carol, a glorification and not at all a mockery of Christ.

Gerald in his Jihad Jerry persona

By Jack Daniel Betz

Devo album Smooth Noodle Maps was released in 1990 and for twenty odd years, that was their last; which is an incredible gap. No, no one died. No one was arrested. And No, there wasn’t a lengthy breakup, in fact they only took a five year hiatus before reuniting in 1996. For some reason there was just a glut of new material despite the band’s amicable status.

For ten years after, Devo toured extensively and performed old material for new generations but did not write any new material until 2024 when they started recording 2024 release Something for Everybody. I was fortunate enough to chat with Gerald Casale, founding member, bassist and co-songwriter for Devo. Our talk ran the gamut, from music to misanthropy.

FPH: I know that you guys had a gig at Fun Fun Fun Fest last year and I was excited about it. I heard you had to cancel. Can you tell me a little bit about that?
JC: Yeah, it was a terrible bummer all around. Mark Mothersbaugh cut his hand with a big shard of glass going straight between the thumb and first finger, all the way down to the nerve, through the tendon. And it took two and half months before he could play again. We had to cancel eight high-profile shows on the east coast, mostly radio shows. Mark and I still went and went up on stage with the octopus project and did a couple songs. We received that Moog award. It was this new, deluxe, mini-moog, with vast improvements and [they said] it was ours and then, it turns out, we never got it.

FPH: I know it hasn’t been actively lately but can you tell me about the Jihad Jerry side project? Is that going anywhere or is that done for now?
JC: Well, Jihad Jerry did not get the love, let me tell you. I thought a man in his senior years, dressed in a theatrical turban and a pimp suit would be clearly satire. And guess what? We live in a nation full of scary people and I received a lot of threats from Muslim people, because I was an infidel but I also got really dissed by all the Christians. They didn’t get it. They thought I was pro-jihad [laughter] and even though it says, mine is not a holy war-
FPH: Right, there’s plenty of messages woven throughout that show that’s obviously not the case.
JC: So much for me declaring a holy way on stupidity. Stupidity will win every time. I thought with songs like “Army Girls Gone Wild” that it would be very clear what the point of view was. That it was kind of R & B mixed with political satire. The video made the clear and the video got half a million hits and you know everybody liked it. But somehow it didn’t translate. Maybe I’ll come back as Jer Jer Devo, in the same outfit, like Jar Jar Binks. [laughter]

FPH: I know since your last studio album, you guys have all recorded plenty of different things whether it’s solo stuff, or collaborating with other people but what was it like coming back into the studio twenty years later doing a whole new record? Was it a shock at all?
JC: Well, not to me. It’s something I was always ready to do, I never wanted twenty years of de-branding and a war of attrition. Mark Mothersbaugh was not interested in collaborating and Devo is a collaboration. The five musketeers, he and I were the driving force, co-songwriters. You look at the credit and it comes out about 50/50. I did the stage shows and he did the graphics. It was a whole self-contained machine. Once you pull one of the principle parts out of the equation, you don’t have it anymore. For me it was just like getting on the bike again and I guess I can only speak for myself. I never lost spirit. I thought we had plenty left to say. I thought the times were so devolved that I couldn’t see any reason for Devo not come back. It seemed perfect. Fun for me.

FPH: This is kind of a rhetorical question, but just to get your take on what’s going in the world, do you still feel that devolution is real?
JC: Well it’s more real than ever. It used to be a punky, smart-ass theory and kind of funny but then you know, in the thirty odd years since we hatched it, it’s all too true. Ours was a satyrical warning but culture has proven to warm right up to it. I can’t even fight an argument with anyone now. It’s kind of like global warming, everyone with an IQ of 100 knows that it’s real and it’s not an argument anymore, it’s just a fact. You just accept it as a basis for moving forward with life. That’s what I feel about devolution. If someone showed you in a crystal ball the world in 2024, you wouldn’t have believed it! You would have thought it was a cheap, b, sci-fi movie, a dystopia.
FPH: Right, with everything but the flying cars.
JC: Exactly. None of the good ends of the future happen.

FPH: You brought up global warming and a couple days ago I watched an interview you did about the BP spill and I really enjoyed that. What do you have to say about our stewardship in the environment in the United Sates? I know when President Obama took office, I was at least anticipating something a little more efficacious but it never happened and it think it just goes to prove that devolution theory even more.
JC: Well, no one’s allowed to be the song and dance man for what we now know is the brand of America. If they were really affected they would be either A. assassinated or B. effectively ruined by the media so that they would lose. But the only people who can be our leaders are already owned by the people who pull the strings. It’s like that scene in Network where they take Ned Beatty down and- I mean Peter Finch down and Ned Beatty is sitting at the desk and lets him know how it really works [laughter]. And I’m sure that that talk takes place with Obama or anyone else, you know you can go out there and say what you want and give ‘em false hope but here’s what’s really going to happen once you’re in.
FPH: It seems like nowadays, there’s no one who’s really immune to the effects.
JC: No there’s good guys-
FPH: Right of course! But there a lot of people who are intertwined.
JC: Right, I mean there might be some good guys but they have no power. I mean we talk a big game about being superior and being more caring about the planet but it’s bullshit. It’s completely bullshit. And we’re the biggest waste-mongers in the world as far as carbon footprint per person, while we’re preaching holier than thou, we’re taking shits in everyone’s back yard. It’s all ludicrous. It’s human nature combined with too many people on the planet. This species is running wild, unchecked by all the rest of nature. Nature’s doing its best to fight back. You can only make the earth so sick before it pukes you up. People go [in a deep voice] ‘we have to save the environment!’ but really you have to save yourselves because without humans, this place is beautiful. It would be like paintings from a thousand years ago or the first pictures you ever saw of unfettered wilderness that wasn’t polluted. It would be a great planet.

FPH: Kind of a shift here but one of the things I noticed was a slight change in aesthetic when the video for ‘Fresh’ came out. What happened to the energy domes? Are they still around?
JC: Yes, the Energy Domes are alive and well. In fact, now they’re in two colors, red and blue. Like red and blue states. But now we’ve added the Everybody Mask to the locker of Devo equipment, including the pompadour hairdo inspired by 1950s politicians and spudring collars. But the real aesthetic change was working with producers and letting them add some magic, fairy-dust to our music rather than keep it all in-house. Was there any song in particular that stood out to you?
FPH: [deciding to limit it to just two] My favorite song on the record is “Human Rocket” and “Signal Ready” was also completely awesome.

FPH: Can you tell me about the focus group? I only found out about after some time had passed and it was over. How did that shape the album?
JC: Well, you know, it wasn’t well enough publicized. It wasn’t brought to market right. We wanted a million people to be a part of that focus group, instead of just 40,000. And what it did is it gave us another- I don’t know what you’d call it, another product in the order of the votes that the songs got. People got exactly what they voted for. Then there was the deluxe version that had everything and then a corporate version where there was some compromises because Warners was our financial partner and they had a say. And that differed here and there from the focus group and after all, it was something for everybody and in reality everybody got what they wanted.

FPH: What do you think of Houston?
JC: Well every city has great things about it but I just need someone to show me around. You have to have an in. The last time I was here in Houston, we played two shows and I got pulled off stage, arrested, and was forced to stay in jail all night. The club was shut down because it was overloaded and the people did not believe there were cops there. They kept saying, ‘boo! Fuck you! We want more music!’ and honest to god people, there were little piggies back stage. One of the little piggies the decided to grab me and take me off stage. We were exonerated and the arrest was expunged but I don’t hold it against Houston.

The synth-pop pioneers will be gracing the Warehouse Live stage tonight with Austin’s Octopus Project.

Not going to SXSW? Me neither. Yeah, there’s lots of stuff going on in ATX this week but don’t despair. If you can’t make the journey there’s still plenty to do close to home. Who needs Austin when you’ve got Houston?

Wed. 16: Clockpole/Japanther/Muhumad Ali/Daikaiju @ Mango’s
-CBGB’s veterans The Fleshtones @ The Continental Club
-Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark (OMD) @ The House of Blues
-Uh Huh Her/Diamonds Under Fire @ Fitz

Thurs. 17: iLL LiAd @ Numbers
-SXSW overflow fest featuring dozens of artists (going on all week) @ Super Happy Fun Land

Fri. 18: Football etc. (album release) @ Vinyl Junkie
-Snoop Dogg @ The House of Blues
-Blue Öyster Cult @ Arena Theater

Sat. 19: Clockpole/Somosuno/Giant Battle Monster @ Notsuoh
-The godfather of goth himself and former Bauhaus front man, Peter Murphy @ Numbers
-Gladys Knight @ Arena Theater
-Tiesto @ George R. Brown

Sun. 20: Kevin Devine/Starfucker @ Fitz
-The Pink Floyd Experience @ Verizon Wireless Center
-Men Without Hats @ Numbers

-Jack Daniel Betz

By Jack Daniel Betz

I’m disappointed more people didn’t turn out for this show and by the time it was all over I felt pretty lucky I made it. The opening band, The Examples, was a palatable mix of rockabilly and garage. My only complaint was that the front man’s pants were so tight that onlookers could distinctly locate his genitalia.

Gobble Gobble took a long time to set up. They carefully laid out a series of strange contraptions including a leaf blower, some hand drums, jury-rigged electronics, and a homemade electronic drum set. These Canadians played one of the most fun sets I’ve ever attended. Two band members were responsible for antics. They fought each other with snow shovels, a mysterious tool Houstonians know little about. They danced around on stilts and even allowed audience members to jam along on huge hand drums. Fantastic.

Baths didn’t disappoint either. Using only a small MIDI setup and laptop he brought tacks like “Halls” to life with his distinct falsetto yelps. Dancing was a must. Look for Baths and Gobble Gobble at SXSW.

By Jack Daniel Betz

This band is clearly influenced by the Mars Volta. That’s one of the first things the listener will notice. However that quickly becomes irrelevant as the album progresses. The songs are not cheap cardboard cutouts of Mars Volta tracks, they’re merely inspired by the same energy and most contain the same depth. The execution is there.

While nearly every song is solid enough to be its own single, the track that truly makes this album is “Vulpecula/Luna Mare”. There are radical variations in tempo, volume, and mood which set it apart from even other songs on the same record. Besides their more modern influences the band admits they’re also inspired by older prog rock acts like Pink Floyd. The ending of “Walk-Ins and Wanderers” contains a small section that would make David Gilmour proud before plunging back into a more aggressive hard rock sound.

For a freshman effort especially, this album is simply incredible. If this band continues to write the way they do, there will be even better records ahead.

By Jack Daniel Betz
It’s been over ten years since post-punk pioneers Gang of Four released their last studio album “Shrink Wrapped” in 1995. Known mostly for their funky and critically acclaimed LP “Entertainment” the band has since replaced their original bassist and drummer and opted for a slower, less funk-driven approach.

On “Content” the talents of guitarist Andy Gil and vocalist Jon King still shine are as brilliantly as ever but the tempo has slowed and there is less emphasis on Entertainment-era basslines. The brunt of the musical weight is carried by Gil’s muddy but brilliant guitar work. For the most part, fans will be pleased as long as they account for the band’s new, more reflective style. Gone is the crazed disco beat that has long characterized the band and in its place is a more introspective and desolate groove that still seems to suit the band’s impressive history.

There are echoes of the funky, 80s GoF on tracks like “Who Am I?” and “I Party All the Time” but for the most part the band has opted for a more experimental approach. The band’s disdain for authority and their constant skepticism still dominate the lyrics. The band has not “sold out” or become “corporate” as whiny little teens would phrase it. They’re playing with the band’s sound and they haven’t become any less rebellious or thought-provoking because of that.

Hardcore GoF fans should pick this up but fare-weather fans might balk. As a faithful admirer of Gang of Four, I give this record a strong B+. Also look out for tracks “Do as I say” and “I can see from far away”. Still golden.

By Jack Daniel Betz

Cut Copy’s first two albums Bright Like Neon Love and In Ghost Colours were certainly crowd-pleasers. The song writing was tight and poppy with the occasional flight of fancy outside regular pop structure.

Zonoscope however, gives the band an opportunity to show a little more of their id and indulge their experimental side. While there are choruses and refrains, the album feels a little more like a jam than past efforts. This shift in method becomes most obvious on Zonoscope’s last track “Sun God” which is a whopping fifteen minutes long and fades into an enthralling ambient instrumental.

At the same time though there are still a number of catchy, self-contained, pop numbers like “Take Me Over” and “Alisa”. Fans will not be disappointed by the mixture of old and new writing on this record.