In the late 1970s the Pop Group found themselves at the avant-garde end of the post-punk continuum, meshing together elements of dub, free jazz and radical politics. Their second post-reunion album occupies similar ground. With production by old collaborator Dennis Bovell and Hank Shocklee of the Bomb Squad (best known for their work on early Public Enemy albums), there’s an appealing push-and-pull throughout between the former’s exploratory journeys into spacey dub and the latter’s denser, more abrasive soundscapes, most notably on album closer Burn Your Flag. Yet, while the results are unfailingly envelope-pushing, coherent songs are few; Zipperface comes closest, but too often tracks go off on tangents just as momentum is building.
