National Music Reviews
The Pop Group
Citizen Zombie
Freaks R Us
Street: 02.23
The Pop Group = X + Gang of Four – XTC
After their 2014 re-release of their 1980 comp We Are Time and a collection of rarities, Cabinet of Curiosities, The Pop Group built up enough steam to write and record their first collection of new songs in 35 years, Citizen Zombie. It’s as political as ever, agitating against the extremes of the “zombies”—as they perceive them—in The Establishment, whether they be corporate, government, or just the “living dead” among the working class who play along in having the wool pulled over their eyes.
What was once bracing can sometimes become grating. In updating their sound, it’s not as spacious but it’s more expansive. More than anything else, it goes to show that the more things (appear to) change, the more they stay the same. –Stakerized!