Matthew Levinson

Scritti Politti – White Bread, Black Beer

Published on 22/08/06
by matt

I GOT SCRITTI Politti’s album a while ago. I only knew the band from seeing their name on Club Retro flyers 10 years ago, seeing it there I was never tempted to go further. And first listen to the latest, White Bread, Black Beer, didn’t tempt me to think differently. I would have put it aside, but a K-Punk review describing it as “quietly brilliant” tempted me back and I’m really glad I did. It’s weird and kinda awkward at times, like Pet Shop Boys doing Prince, but with elements of hip hop, sugary over-produced R&B and awkward, self-obsessed lyrics like the desperately bitter edge of Morrissey at his best. It’s lonely (Green’s on his own now, having split with his old post-punk cronies, as well as the ragga and hip hop MCs, according to Simon Reynolds), and sort of depressing, but also fascinating enough to keep going back to.

K-Punk and Reynolds have taken their discussion to very deep levels, hard to know sometimes with this level of discussion whether they’re finding things or making things. Still, hard to tear yourself away.

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