Pop Will Eat Itself
Dos Dedos Mes Amigos

Wandering the streets of Camden, you still come across kids wearing the "PWEI" t-shirt. The same goes for Soho and other parts of London. Sure, after numerous washes they've faded, but they're still among the most appreciated.

The same goes for their records. I'm talking about the Pop Will Eat Itself whose deus ex machina was a certain Clint Mansell, idolized none other than Trent Reznor. The band, despite never having disbanded, stopped producing some years ago (1996). Their name comes from a headline that appeared in an English music magazine, I believe Melody Maker, which reported how English pop would eventually cannibalize itself.

By chance, I stumbled upon this album, which I had forgotten stacked under some books, and upon listening to it again, I realized how ahead of their time the Poppies were: the album dates back to 1994 and contained the beautiful "Ich Bin Ein Ausländer", dedicated to the resurgence of neo-Nazi movements in Germany during that period.

It's a kind of technological pop, reminiscent of NIN and Fun-Da-Mental. Despite being over a decade old, the album feels like it was released last year, at most two years ago. Contemporaneous albums like "Filth Pig" by Ministry (I believe 1996), although very commendable, feel much older.

The record opens with "Ausländer" and continues with dark atmospheres up to "Familus Horribilus", a song sung with a completely distorted voice. "Manofearthereaper" is beautiful, it seems like something between U2's "Numb" and Nine Inch Nails' "Fragile". The cheerful "Dos Dedos Mes Amigos", with its "Everything's Cool", lifts the spirits.

For those who knew them from lighthearted songs like "Touched By The Hand Of Cicciolina" or "Def-Con-One", this album will seem darker, almost noir.

Re-listening to it is always beneficial, it never gets old because IT HAS NO TEMPORAL PLACEMENT.