Curse of Zounds

Zounds: Steve Lake (vocals, bass); Laurence Wood (guitar); Josef Portar (drums).
Additional personnel: Brian Charles (keyboards).
Producers: Penny Rimbaud, Zounds, Adam Kidron, Brad Grisdale.
Engineers: John Loder, Adam Kidron, Brad Grisdale.
Protégés of the Crass collective -- Penny Rimbaud produced their records, while Eve Libertine designed their sleeves -- Zounds forswore their mentors' deliberately primitive noise punk style in favor of a much cleaner, almost pop sound, that puts The Curse of Zounds in the same stylistic ballpark as many of the Factory Records bands of the era. Singer/songwriter Steve Lake's prominent basslines power the songs in the familiar post-Joy Division fashion, while Lawrence Wood and Nick Godwin's chunky guitar lines skitter around in a style reminiscent of the Au Pairs and Gang of Four. Lyrically provocative without descending into the usual cheap sloganeering, Lake's lyrics are engaging and sometimes quite funny, while the music is sure to appeal to any fan of British post-punk. The 1997 Broken Rekids reissue includes not only the full 1981 LP, but also the singles Zounds recorded for Crass around the same time. ~ Stewart Mason