The London electronica post-punk, tree-camouflage-dressed quartet return with their vigorously inventive, infectiously dance-inspiring, krautrock-ish defiant work holding up a mirror to the absurdities and injustices of modern life. The title comes from a 2010 book of poems by Alice Walker, Hard Times Require Furious Dancing, in which she wrote: “We can still hold the line of beauty, form, and beat. No small accomplishment in a world as challenging as this one... hard times require furious dancing. Each of us is proof.” Musically this perhaps goes deeper and even more creative that ever, with a range of sounds with what they call the “primitive thrust of their single-oscillator ‘log’ synths and sequencers”, whirring, banging, clanging and jittering with a mesmeric momentum. Alongside the slick work of fellow masked members Chestnutt, Parry and Long, talking vocalist and electronica whiz Austin caustically scythes through all kinds familiar issues, from inflated property prices (Pay The Rent) to big business on Personal Responsibilities (“They don’t apply to very large companies …”), society’s apathy (Raoul), to the dangers of technology on Smart World: “Everyone one I meet is getting lazier in the head almost daily”. While these issues are forever becoming more critical, the electric energy of their music sweeps us joyfully up. Other standouts and oddities include Where’s The Caganer? relating to comical mini figurines seen defecating in Catalan nativity scenes which are meant to bring good luck, the stranger and stranger 摆烂 Bai Lan, and Hagan Im Garten, and the final, slower dystopian surveillance-them final track Closely Observed. It’s a scary and dysfunctionally mad world, but at least Snapped Ankles turn it into something brilliantly energising. Out on The Leaf Label.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Feel free to recommend more new songs and albums and comment below. You can also use the contact page, or find more on social media: Song Bar X, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.
Song Bar is non-profit and is simply about sharing great music. We don’t do clickbait or advertisements. Please make any donation to help keep the Bar running: