Album Review: Gang of Four’s “What Happens Next”

Early this month, British Post-punk rock band Gang of Four, who have only one original member remaining, released its ninth studio album, “What Happens Next.”

During the late seventies and early eighties, during the Punk wave, another genre of rock was beginning to popularize in Great Britain as well as in the United States. Bands like Joy Division, The Pop Group and of course Gang of Four were combining general Punk Rock with art rock, pop, etc. to produce a genre of music now known as Post-punk. These bands would stand out more due to their unorthodox approach to Punk Rock. For example, Joy Division sounded more ominous and depressing than your typical Punk Rock band, like Black Flag.

One could argue that Gang of Four was one of the most influential Post-punk bands and definitely was one of the most talked about bands of its genre during that era. The band hit success early with their debut album, “Entertainment!”, which incorporated elements of funk and dance. This album has received critical acclaim over time and since has influenced bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Kurt Cobain even listed it as one of his top 50 albums of all time.

Gang of Four throughout their nine studio albums have seen members come and go. The only remaining original member of the band is guitarist Andy Gill (although former lead vocalist Jon King did show up on their last album in 2011).  The band has also done a bit of changing in their sound over time as well. During the eighties, they shifted towards a more New Wave sound on albums like “Songs of the Free” and “Hard,” a sound that popularized during the mid-eighties with bands like New Order. However, in the nineties, they would go back to that Post-punk sound but would infuse it with more alternative rock.

This album gives off the same vibe but with a bit of experimental rock and garage rock infused with it as well. But the bulk of this album did not resonate like their past albums have. Most of the production on this album drowns out the lyrics, so it is a bit hard to take out what you can from this album.

A number of the songs on this album do not sound innovative in any way. They sound very similar to the songs of a number of bands out today. For example, the song “Isle of the Dogs” sounds like a song off of Interpol’s last album, “El Pintor.” So this album is not good for anyone trying to get into Gang of Four; however, their back catalog of albums is where they shine the most. For those already familiar with Gang of Four, “What Happens Next” shouldn’t turn them off that much, and in fact, it might just be something fresh for them.