Radio 4

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From Brooklyn. They played at Don Hill's Saturday night and who is the shakin-est thang on the dancefloor but our very own Nichole Graham!! I thought they were fantastic. YES derivative and "dated" but: here's my contention, and my second chance for all these boutique rockers who've chosen a particular album or moment as their personal rosetta stone for All Rock to Come: wasn't the whole point of innovative music to set an example, or to create pathways that others could use? Why get stroppy when they actually do so? I know it's going to give mark s apoplexy but the only thing I could think of w/Radio 4 is that they've re-imagined PiL as a rock band...! Big dubby basslines, congas, percussion, and snappy chinka-chinka guitar lines over everything, and the front guy singing with a laconic Cure-drawl. That was their main mode, but they strayed into other areas of the currently extremely high-rent real-estate of 80s post-punk dance music: their last song was LITERALLY the bassline from Moody by ESG, to the point where everyone thought they were covering it, and started bopping and dancing everywhere but then we realized they were just ripping it off... but it was cool... like a live boom selecta mashup or something... The promoter got on the mike and told everyone to show their love and they really were about to just pack up their stuff but we wouldn't let em... they were kind of amused, and they played more... What they really got right: electricity-rock and an enthusiastic tempo combined with GRATE PERCUSSION. Nichole's take: "better than the usual crap."

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ehh. Not to poo on your party, T, because that does sound mighty fine, but my encounter w/ the Radio 4 was definitely less exciting than that. Gang of Four pop songs = blech blech blech = as funky as a kidney stone. Sounds like they've improved, tho, which I'm all for.

For my money, S. Process is the rump shakin' booty shakin' stuff you REALLY need.

― Daver, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think context is everything for bands like this. If they had played at Acme Underground it would have sucked.

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

What I liked is 2 things: 1) I felt like they were making the style of music their own. they were really having fun up there; the logic of the rhythm was pushing their bodies around and they were kind of hanging on for dear life. because this was so real for them 2) we felt it too!

― Tracer hand, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Radio 4 are nice guys but their records are boring. If I'm in the mood for a GoF knockoff, I go see the Rapture.

― Yancey, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I will take note, Yancey. Sounds like Go4 knockoffs are my thing... (NB I was never in any danger of buying their record)

― Tracer hand, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There's nothing wrong w/ Gang of Four knockoffs, mind you.

― Daver, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I guess I'm saying I don't care who their knocking off - the knock- offier the better! The DJ who came on after didn't write ANY of the songs he played but the dancing got even crazier! WTF!! I wanted a good night out and I got it. Radio 4 delivered.

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

sorry i should have written "thier"

― Tracer Hand, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

― Daver, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

dave you chucklehead the gang of four are a pop band. fuckin' indie kids, i tell you...

g of f as to funk as to what led zep were to the blues, discusss.

(i sound like dave q.)

anyway, didn't we determine by science that if you're named after someone elses song or album title you = dud.)

― jess, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw a pretty cool LA band called Moving Units (I think) at the Three Clubs the other night. I think they were trying to replicate Gof4 or Wire, but it came off more like the Minutemen to me (a good thing).

― Andy, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I definitely agree that there is nothing wrong with GoF knockoffs. GoF are among my five favorite bands ever. Radio 4 just feel a bit hollow to me, much like the Liars. The Liars are the new super-hot Brooklyn band. They think by getting the high hat to flop open they too can be GoF. But they cannot. They are not very good.

The Rapture released an EP last year on Subpop called "Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks." The guitars are not particularly good, but at least they substitute feedback for those riffs, which are much harder to play than you would think. I still can't quite pull off "At Home He's a Tourist."

― Yancey, Monday, 15 April 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

eleven months pass...

I got interested in these people after hearing people complain how much they sound like Gof4. I liked the two mp3s off of their first record and today found "The New Sound & Dance" used up in Lexington.

After giving it a listen on the way home, I have now been convinced of my original assessment based on the song "How the Stars Got Crossed".

To me, they sound like the first Joe Jackson record, easily as much as Gof4, maybe much more. Maybe it is the lead singer that brings the Joe Jackson comparison, but I like some of the songs quite a bit.

It just is no where near as cutting and dark sounding as "Entertainment" era Gang of Four, except that break down on the "Communication" song, which does seem a bit reminicient of "Damaged Goods".

I suppose there is much worse things than nicking from that era. I like it, but we'll have to see if I listen to it after a few months.

― earlnash, Friday, 4 April 2003 22:36 (twenty-two years ago)

twelve years pass...

Someone just said "fuck" on the late night woman's hour, Yay!

― xelab, Thursday, 20 August 2015 22:34 (ten years ago)

Oops wrong thread

― xelab, Thursday, 20 August 2015 22:37 (ten years ago)

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