Is This the Future?

Rip It Up, Issue 18, 1 December 1978, Page 12

Is This the Future?

Dominic Free

Penetration Moving Targets XTC Go 2 Virgin Records There are some pessimists who think that the recent creative outburst in the English music scene is over and that most of the new hopes will soon fade away. But they are wrong on both counts if these two albums are anything to go by On the first score Moving Targets the debut by Penetration proves there are still some very impressive bands playing in English garages On the second count XTC have proved their staying power with Go 2 which is perhaps superior to their first class debut album Penetration have neatly avoided any punk stereotypes Certainly they are based in the familiar power play but they have developed a stark metallic quality to their sound which is quite distinctive Much of the credit for this must go to guitarist Fred Purser whose haunting melodic lines put the cutting edge to the band's distinctive hard rock delivery

But the true star here is vocalist Pauline Murray. Her tone is absolutely chilling but the passion is obviously present in every track. The band uses some quite adventurously sparse arrangements but they almost always work because she is totally convincing \ imm . , i m ■ r \ v From an impressive set standouts would be the gorgeous power thrash. "Life's A Gamble" and the slower hard reggae. Too Many Friends .

One doubt that tends to linger about art rock outfits is that all the experimentation may simply conceal the fact that the bands simply couldn't give a tight performance of a neatly structured melody within a 3-4 minute format There are no worries on that score with XTC Inventive and intelligent they are but the delivery is as solid as the hardest headbanger you could ask for Andy Partridge doesn't get his chords out of the same book as other rock guitarists. The rhythms are jerky and at first unsettling. The melodies chop and change suddenly. But this band really deserves listening time Colin Moulding on bass and Terry Chambers on drums are an amazingly tight rhythm section.

There is nothing flabby about their execution of the pacier numbers in the set Nor are Barry Andrews keyboards the indulgent type Always witty, never rambling and cleverly underpins the basic structures But it always comes back to Partridge with his impeccable rhythm work, the sly gems of lead and his stammering vocals

The best tunes are his too. Meccamk Dancing" with its jangling metallic riff, the frantic Red and the hypnotic Battery Brides . Colin Moulding s The Rhythm" is also a standout Neither of these albums is what you might call easy listening. But they will amply reward repeated playing These bands and their like may not be the future of rock n' roll but they ought to be