Entomology - Josef K

Today's collection of songs is from a band named after the hero of one of the most disturbing books ever written, 'The Trial' by Franz Kafka. However this album is neither harrowing not a trial, I salute it for the 22 (22!!) tracks of frenetic majesty, carried by the oddly languid yet simultaneously urgent singing of Paul Haig. Cobbled together in 2006 from a couple of albums as a kind of retrospective (the band only lasted about 2 years in total so there is not reams of stuff). the spiky guitar and discordant rhythms glue this recond together - in many ways the sound is oh so familiar - for that you can blame retrospective listening and newer bands such as Franz Ferdinand who 'borrow' and re-create the sounds of this time (somehow I never really got to liking FF very much though despite some entertaining singles) - it gets me thinking that it must have been something to be around in the early 80s when all these bands first appeared. But that is some regret not worth even thinking about as it involves birth and accidents of, okay so I was around then but too teeny wee to take much notice of anything not on the Top of the Pops radar. Stand out track for me has to be 'Sorry for laughing' whereby the singer apologises for laughing at someone for how they look, which despite its mean-spirited lyric is incredibly striking for being an attitude not many people would own up to. If I had to pick a fault (and be mean) I would say that I find the songs a little distant, aloof even, but after the emotional outpourings of the Associates it is not so disconcerting. Even if I haven't achieved anything today I can agree that I spent it in the company of some intriguing music.