Lomax, A Symbol Of Modern Living (93 Records) 9+
I’d just about given up on American post-post punk bands creating anything that can stand on its own spindly legs as a great work of new music. Sure, there’s plenty of skill (Radio 4), beats (Rapture) and live chops (Liars and many others) to keep us intrigued, but never satisfied. What’s missing is relevance. These bands seem to be doing the “Time Warp,” their message making more sense in a context that’s twenty years long gone, completely lost on anyone outside of the usual old cognoscenti with large record collections. They rarely speak to the here-and-now conditions of the world. Political affairs are at their utmost fucked-up. Where’s the howls of protest and anger? There’s a place for escapist claptrap, but what’s to balance it? And how does one build upon the creative zenith of ’79-’81 post-punk without apeing it? An all-too-common catch-22 for bands determined to avoid becoming derivative cliché’s, they go overboard the other way by indulging in formless spazz-rock that resembles a child’s tantrum more than a display of power. Leave it to a British band to offer some answers. On A Symbol Of Modern Living, Lomax have come the closest of anyone of walking the line between tribute and racket. And even more exciting, they bristle with relevance, and shoot it spitefully like a porcupine’s needles. The lyrics do better than mewl and complain. From what I can decipher, they’re informed, intelligent, and sharp-witted. This alone is a revelation. When’s the last time you examined a band’s lyrics without being embarrassed for them? “The Bodies Of Journalists” explodes out of the box with righteous anger. Don’t be a prat, of course they’re not whining about us lowly music critics. This is about war crimes. “Brought To Rights” is a barbed funk-bomb that can trace its roots to The Pop Group and the deadly astute songwriter Mark Stewart. Elsewhere (“Modern Life”) there’s nods to The Fall’s equally prickly Mark E. Smith. The music is sharp and noisy but veers away from tunelessness, reigning in tight Gang Of Four rhythms, shards of brittle Killing Joke, Birthday Party and P.i.L. guitar sounds, and surprisingly tuneful choruses. Lomax are no mere revivalists. Every cut offers twists and surprises, and you never forget what year this is. “Arnstein’s Ladder” is startlingly fresh, with the best use of percussive guitar chimes since Dog Faced Hermans. “Principles” begins with a thick post-funk groove and peaks with some terse space rock. “Reiterator” is an infectious highlight, featuring raspy vocals not unlike Girls Against Boys, and a harddriving drum and bass track, with some surprising touches of synth. The effects-laden “The End” sounds like an updated recent Primal Scream. Except when the former do a good job in simulating punk rage, Lomax are the real thing.
