For their third album The The became a functioning group for the first time, and the renewed focus the new musicians bring to the project is staggering. It does help that one of those new musicians was none other than Johnny Marr himself. Somehow their debut, Soul Mining, passed me by on it's initial release so my first intro to the majesty of Matt Johnson was through 1986's classic, Infected. The album seethes with lyrical rage and contains some of The The's finest moments but does sound slightly dated nowadays.
Mind Bomb not only avoids the dated musical gimmicks of its predecessor, but stands as one of the few albums to successfully fuse the sensual and political, pairing deep, sexy grooves with some of Matt Johnson’s strongest lyrics. Several of the album’s lyrics focus on the dichotomy between religious faith and freedom of choice married to music that is catchy, memorable and beautifully crafted. As well as raging against religious fundamentalism, superpower foreign policy and political misinformation, Matt Johnson also writes beautiful, aching, uncomfortable love songs which really get under the skin, literally, of human relationships.
If you need proof that there was good music that came out of the 80's, look no further than The The.
The The - Armageddon Days (Are Here Again)
Spot on with assessment of Matt johnson, Mr Spools.
ReplyDeleteSaw The The live (with JMarr) at Glasgow Barrowlands in '89.
10 minute live version of 'Giant' was a brilliant moment. Also, the Infected Channel 4 special from mid 80's is well worth seeking out.
RRL