Building Up A New Home

Shriekback was that sort of strange wonderful animal you got a lot of in the 80's: a bunch of guys from rock bands getting together to make unexpectedly electronic and/or danceable music. Dave Allen (Gang of Four) and Barry Andrews (XTC) had excellent postpunk credentials already, but when they formed the initial Shriekback lineup with Carl Marsh, I doubt anybody could have predicted what they would sound like. Funky slapped basslines, eminently danceable Linndrum rhythms, squiggly synths and some catchy but cryptic lyrics. By their second album they were in full swing churning out dancy, somewhat poppy, but never trite songs like Hand on my Heart and Under The Lights.

Today's track is New Home from Jam Science (1984).