NEW ALBUMS
AtoZ
This month…
P26 DEPECHE MODE
P28 THE DAMNED
P30 JANA HORN
P34 THE ZOMBIES
P35 SILVER MOTH
P36 THOSE PRETTY WRONGS
P38 BILLY VALENTINE
P39 WEDNESDAY
A CERTAIN RATIO
1982 MUTE
7/10
Manchesterpunk-funkveterans still grooving
Peers of Joy Division in the early years of Factory Records, A Certain Ratio shared their labelmates’ penchant for the gothic, but paired it with a dancefloor sensibility informed by funk, disco and Latin music. 1982 has some nostalgic moments, not least kick-off track “Samo”, which pays lyrical tribute to the New York nightlife in which ACR mingled in the early ’80s – Fab 5 Freddy, Warhol and Basquiat. But there is forward motion too. “Afro Dizzy” is delectable Afrobeat with new vocalist Ellen Beth Abdi up front. Elsewhere, “A Trip In Hulme” and “Constant Curve” prove that A Certain Ratio’s blend of knife-edge tension and funkateer abandon is a style that’s theirs and theirs only.