Most 80s bands nowadays seem to be content with either obscurity or reunion tours, pumping out the same karaoke hits over and over again. Not so Shriekback – originally formed by Barry Andrews (XTC), Carl Marsh and David Allen (Gang Of Four) – who’re back with their tenth album in a 23 year career.

These days, they’re largely a Barry Andrews solo project, but he was joined over the 18 month recordings by long-time partner Martyn Barker and a host of other collaborators, including his former XTC bandmate Andy Partridge and his son Finn, from The Veils. The eclectic results reflect the range of personnel involved, and Andrews’ freedom to experiment.

A blend of retro, leftfield indie – one can see XTC’s influence on more recent bands such as Pulp or Blur in their quirkier moments – with ambient and funk flourishes, Cormorant rarely settles for long before veering in a new musical direction. Whereas ‘Sea Theory’ and ‘Waterbaby’ are relatively conventional tunes, the avant-garde pieces like ‘Huytfi Dbl Plus’ could be another band altogether, and almost as strange as their names.

Some of it sounds a little dated, and consequently perhaps Shriekback won’t get the exposure they deserve these days. While it’s true that they have a long past to live up to, compared to modern peers like The Mountaineers or Super Furry Animals, these old veterans can more than hold their own. Don’t expect easy listening, but if you make the journey into Andrews’ own strange world it’s an interesting experience that rewards the effort.

(3½/5)

Release Date: 07 November 2005

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