I've often seen this record cited as a classic, one to check out yet I found my entry to it slow but alas one day came Albatross on shuffle and it all clicked. After the flash in the pan revolution of Punk Rock and the Sex Pistols, front man John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten swiftly moved on from the values and ideas of Never Mind The Bollocks and formed Public Image Ltd. Metal box is their second album, one that garnished a lot of attention from music critics who's recommendations I've followed.
For me this record is an experimentation in form and function that seem obvious with retrospect but for 1979 could of been something special. Labeld as Post-Punk, there is plenty of this genre I've heard that nods in the direction of this repetitive, artsy anti-music. For just about every song the stage is set by Jah Wobble's driving, monochromatic basslines that endlessly plod away alongside steady drum patterns that resist flamboyancy or flair. The two build a backbone of powerful mood steering droning to foster the bands artistic experiments.
Each song plants some set of ideas into these mesmerizing repetitions. Discordant guitar noise and dissemination of norms feature between blunt force poetry put forth in unapologetic common tongue and alien deployments of abstract synth tones. For me, its a real case of hit and miss. These experiments throw a variety of performance and musical idea into the brewing pot. Not all of it sticks and all too often is it driven in going against the norm, a good thing for unearthing magic.
Careering is driven by its whirling synths, forging an atmosphere of electrical unease juxtaposed against the casual perusing of its rhythm section. Chant on the other hand goes militant with continual chanting, a dominant snare with broken guitar noise abuse led by Lydon's snarling remarks. Its a harsher approach doesn't pull me in. These are two polar ends too what a lot of these songs do, deploy a handful of "out there" ideas to the droning repetitive framework and see what happens.
Oddly the album closes with Radio 4. A bassline harmonizes with symphonic synths to the give way to them fully. Its a glorious and mysterious sound to see out the record on. Almost feels like a statement of sorts in comparison to the rest of the music. This album is totally worth a listen. It thinks about the norms of music and deconstructs them. I am just left wondering if it could grow on me more? After quite a few spins I've taken it in well, we will see what happens with time and encounters on shuffle!
Rating: 6/10