Diggin' now... Gang of Four

I had never heard of Gang of Four -- the rock band, not the leftist political faction comprising, you guessed it, four Chinese Communist Party officials of the same name -- although they may share some political tendencies if not musical stylings.

But an NPR: All Songs Considered podcast I was listening to the other day introduced us, and it was great. The program was about great first tracks on an album, and the song above, 'Ether' was featured. It's the first track of Gang of Four's debut album, Entertainment! and it's great.

It's a bit hard to believe it came out in 1979. I remember the hosts talking about how it was received, with its political lyrics -- the rest of the album gets more overtly political, while this song is lyrical in its protest. But the point remains. And the way it makes use of the bass to drive the song, the way the beat is super-jerky, making you uneasy, kind of like its lyrics:

Trapped in heaven life style (locked in Long Kesh)
New looking out for pleasure (H-block torture)
It's at the end of the rainbow (White noise in)
The happy ever after (a white room)
Dirt behind the daydream
Dirt behind the daydream
The happy ever after
Is at the end of the rainbow
Dig at the root of the problem (Fly the flag on foreign soil)
It breaks your new dreams daily (H-block Long Kesh)
Fathers contradictions (Censor six countries news)
And breaks your new dreams daily (each day more deaths)
Dirt behind the daydream
Dirt behind the daydream
The happy ever after
Is at the end of the rainbow
White noise in a white room
White noise in a white room

Check out the whole record. It's worth it.