Reviewed by MacArthur Antigua
Released: 1981 Bpeople Bpeople Genre: Dark City Sprawl Or Music For Vampires Rating: 3 out of 5 Highlights: The Dark Upon receiving this assignment, I was directed to the youtube link labeled: “BPEOPLE - S/T(1981)(Post-Punk)(Art Punk)(New Wave)(Experimental Rock)(Power Pop).” After a full listen, I interpreted that less as a clumsy fan-uploaded label and more of a mathematical equation. Multiply all that together, and it emerges as “Dark City Sprawl.” It evoked vibes of wandering through a cinematic dystopian cigarette smoke-infused nightscape, but sans all of Blade Runnerian bleeps and blurbs. That’s probably due to the warm organ, acoustic guitar and saxophones, which kept me grounded in analog. On its stand out track “The Dark,” lead vocalist Alex Gibson croons “Why can’t I live / All by myself” repeatedly over a haunting guitar riff. However, this lands on me as solidarity. This is music for those who know they’re alone and are OK with being alone, yet appreciate that they’re not really alone. Akin to when I heard the Smiths back in high school, and thinking, “yeah, maybe I am that boy with the thorn in his side.” For most of the album, Tom Recchion’s propulsive snare keeps the enterprise moving forward, save the final track, “Song of the Children” which clocks in at nearly 6 minutes and serves as a melancholic coda. Given that we’re living in polycrises, I’ve noticed I’ve been leaning into nostalgic jangle pop as sonic comfort food. This ain’t that. While I probably won’t fire this up again, I respected how it does what it does on its own terms.
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