Discography
Gang Of Four - What Happens Next (2015)
The ninth studio album by Gang of Four, written and produced by Andy. The album features contributions from Alison Mosshart from The Kills and Dead Weather, German musician Herbert Grönemeyer, Japanese guitarist Hotei and The Big Pink member Robbie Furze.
Excerpt from the album press release:
“Gang of Four have today announced the release of a new album What Happens Next, out through Gill Music / Membran on March 2nd, 2015. The new release – the band’s ninth studio album & successor to 2011’s acclaimed Content – is previewed with key track Broken Talk which features Alison Mosshart of The Kills and The Dead Weather.
“More than a band, Gang of Four is an idea for a band- what would happen if you dismantled assumptions and worked from first principles? What might a rock band sound like if it took nothing for granted? As a result, Gang of Four has always been bigger than their original line-up – the band who self-imposed stringent rules only to break them on subsequent records was never meant to remain static. What Happens Next, the title of Gang of Four’s thrilling and unsettling ninth album, refers both to the world outside and the band itself: an emphatic commitment to the future.
“As on the band’s 2013 tour dates, founding guitarist and songwriter Andy Gill has constructed a new Gang of Four for What Happens Next: John ‘Gaoler’ Sterry on vocals, Thomas McNeice on bass and Jonny Finnegan on drums (although previous drummer Mark Heaney also features). On Gill’s first album without singer Jon King, Sterry is joined on vocal duties by Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather), Gail Ann Dorsey, Robbie Furze (The Big Pink), and German musician and actor Herbert Grönemeyer. What Happens Next contains the intellectual muscle you would expect, but this plenitude of international voices also makes it Gang of Four’s most richly emotional album yet. ‘The focus is more on universal issues, like how individuals behave in certain ways or how our world is constructed, than local issues or current affairs,’ says Gill. ‘Gang of Four is anything but parochial.’
“Gang of Four initially existed, with various personnel changes, between 1977 and 1983. Their debut album Entertainment! – voted in Pitchfork’s top ten albums of the 70s, equally beloved by R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Minutemen; Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana and Massive Attack; Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and LCD Soundsystem – felt like a blast of ice-cold water, both in form and content. Committed foes of received wisdom, they subjected traditional ‘rock’n’roll values’ to ruthless scrutiny, while making music every bit as physically exciting as what they were challenging. Gill and King made two more albums in the 90s and another in 2011, Content. When King left the project, a reinvigorated Gill seized the opportunity to reimagine Gang of Four from the ground up- after all, he was – as guitarist, composer, producer and lyric writer – still the band’s driving force.
“With a tough, uncompromising new sound, Andy Gill has constructed a new entity for exploring enduring fascinations, making What Happens Next Gang of Four’s boldest, most self-interrogating album since Entertainment! As ever, Gang of Four takes nothing for granted.”
Album reviews:
“As the title of their new album so aptly puts it – what happens next? It’s a perfectly reasonable question. What Happens Next is the first Gang of Four album without co-founding vocalist (and primary lyricist) Jon King; guitarist Andy Gill remains the Gang’s sole original member. But as he recently explained to Chicago Innerview, Gang of Four have gone through more than one lineup change during their lifespan, and he viewed King’s departure as an opportunity ‘to reimagine Gang of Four from the ground up’…This version of Gang of Four is clearly Gill’s vision, and if the group doesn’t sound as tightly wound as they did in their first incarnation, the angular guitar attack and the relentless pounding of the drums is a clear indication that the fire still burns within.” – Gillian G. Gaar, Paste, February 24th, 2015.
“Though Gang of Four are the same bracing proposition as they ever were, 2015’s literary imagery and less blokey vibe mark a successful leap sideways.” – Q Magazine, April 2015.
“It’s to Gill’s credit that the band have retained their venom, spitting out terse rhythms and thick squirts of electronica.” – Classic Rock Magazine, April 2015.
“Far from snug or welcoming, the Gang’s overpoweringly thick-sounding ninth album is as refreshingly abstract as anything they’ve done before; a collage of nails-down-a-chalkboard slogans and textures that has arrived at a watershed moment for the politically-disenfranchised and socially-isolated. 3/5 stars” -Dan Owens, DIY Magazine, February 23rd, 2015.
“A lucid and accomplished departure.” – Uncut, February 19th, 2015.
“They’ve fashioned a rich and powerfully diverse record.” – Record Collector, March 6th, 2015.
Discography
Gang Of Four - What Happens Next (2015)
The ninth studio album by Gang of Four, written and produced by Andy. The album features contributions from Alison Mosshart from The Kills and Dead Weather, German musician Herbert Grönemeyer, Japanese guitarist Hotei and The Big Pink member Robbie Furze.
Excerpt from the album press release:
“Gang of Four have today announced the release of a new album What Happens Next, out through Gill Music / Membran on March 2nd, 2015. The new release – the band’s ninth studio album & successor to 2011’s acclaimed Content – is previewed with key track Broken Talk which features Alison Mosshart of The Kills and The Dead Weather.
“More than a band, Gang of Four is an idea for a band- what would happen if you dismantled assumptions and worked from first principles? What might a rock band sound like if it took nothing for granted? As a result, Gang of Four has always been bigger than their original line-up – the band who self-imposed stringent rules only to break them on subsequent records was never meant to remain static. What Happens Next, the title of Gang of Four’s thrilling and unsettling ninth album, refers both to the world outside and the band itself: an emphatic commitment to the future.
“As on the band’s 2013 tour dates, founding guitarist and songwriter Andy Gill has constructed a new Gang of Four for What Happens Next: John ‘Gaoler’ Sterry on vocals, Thomas McNeice on bass and Jonny Finnegan on drums (although previous drummer Mark Heaney also features). On Gill’s first album without singer Jon King, Sterry is joined on vocal duties by Alison Mosshart (The Kills, The Dead Weather), Gail Ann Dorsey, Robbie Furze (The Big Pink), and German musician and actor Herbert Grönemeyer. What Happens Next contains the intellectual muscle you would expect, but this plenitude of international voices also makes it Gang of Four’s most richly emotional album yet. ‘The focus is more on universal issues, like how individuals behave in certain ways or how our world is constructed, than local issues or current affairs,’ says Gill. ‘Gang of Four is anything but parochial.’
“Gang of Four initially existed, with various personnel changes, between 1977 and 1983. Their debut album Entertainment! – voted in Pitchfork’s top ten albums of the 70s, equally beloved by R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Minutemen; Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana and Massive Attack; Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and LCD Soundsystem – felt like a blast of ice-cold water, both in form and content. Committed foes of received wisdom, they subjected traditional ‘rock’n’roll values’ to ruthless scrutiny, while making music every bit as physically exciting as what they were challenging. Gill and King made two more albums in the 90s and another in 2011, Content. When King left the project, a reinvigorated Gill seized the opportunity to reimagine Gang of Four from the ground up- after all, he was – as guitarist, composer, producer and lyric writer – still the band’s driving force.
“With a tough, uncompromising new sound, Andy Gill has constructed a new entity for exploring enduring fascinations, making What Happens Next Gang of Four’s boldest, most self-interrogating album since Entertainment! As ever, Gang of Four takes nothing for granted.”
Album reviews:
“As the title of their new album so aptly puts it – what happens next? It’s a perfectly reasonable question. What Happens Next is the first Gang of Four album without co-founding vocalist (and primary lyricist) Jon King; guitarist Andy Gill remains the Gang’s sole original member. But as he recently explained to Chicago Innerview, Gang of Four have gone through more than one lineup change during their lifespan, and he viewed King’s departure as an opportunity ‘to reimagine Gang of Four from the ground up’…This version of Gang of Four is clearly Gill’s vision, and if the group doesn’t sound as tightly wound as they did in their first incarnation, the angular guitar attack and the relentless pounding of the drums is a clear indication that the fire still burns within.” – Gillian G. Gaar, Paste, February 24th, 2015.
“Though Gang of Four are the same bracing proposition as they ever were, 2015’s literary imagery and less blokey vibe mark a successful leap sideways.” – Q Magazine, April 2015.
“It’s to Gill’s credit that the band have retained their venom, spitting out terse rhythms and thick squirts of electronica.” – Classic Rock Magazine, April 2015.
“Far from snug or welcoming, the Gang’s overpoweringly thick-sounding ninth album is as refreshingly abstract as anything they’ve done before; a collage of nails-down-a-chalkboard slogans and textures that has arrived at a watershed moment for the politically-disenfranchised and socially-isolated. 3/5 stars” -Dan Owens, DIY Magazine, February 23rd, 2015.
“A lucid and accomplished departure.” – Uncut, February 19th, 2015.
“They’ve fashioned a rich and powerfully diverse record.” – Record Collector, March 6th, 2015.