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THE REVIEW
Considered a minor entity of the new wave, the Scottish Associates are in fact more than Soft Cell the British answer to Suicide and D.a.f. Not that their offering can match that of these two master groups that preceded them, but at least at the start of their career they also represented a personal version of the “electronic duo” with Alan Rankine painting suggestive synthetic scores and Billy McKenzie (who unfortunately has recently joined the group of Curtis, Borland, and Williams) intervening with his powerful and emphatic voice, both the cross and delight of all their albums.
Rankine's personal masterpiece is already at the beginning with “White Car In Germany” and in the instrumental reprise “An Even Whiter Car” where he amazes with the initial mechanical advance similar to a slowed-down 90s techno track. Mckenzie creeps in shortly after with his elegant 19th-century dandy lyrical voice that had so little to do with other new wave voices of the era, and perhaps precisely for this reason made the Associates a unique and hard-to-imitate group. Other unforgettable tracks are “Kitchen Person” with a marvelous loop of rampant guitars and the voice, this time more restless and desperate, which seems to come from another world, the minimalist and nocturnal “Q Quarters”, the instrumental and rhythmic “Kissed”. Just to reiterate the genius and unruliness of the group, the album ends with the track “Blue Soap” with McKenzie singing a soul tune in the shower.
The album title refers to the drawer where the two kept the amphetamines. The record, which is not really their second album but rather a collection of singles, b-sides, and unreleased tracks all produced in '81, is not a masterpiece but still an original and daring work not to be forgotten.
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Summary by Bot
Although considered a minor new wave act, Associates' Fourth Drawer Down stands out with its unique blend of electronic music and powerful vocals. Alan Rankine's innovative synth work and Billy McKenzie's distinctive voice create an original sound. The album is a collection of singles, b-sides, and unreleased tracks from 1981, offering daring and unforgettable moments despite not being a traditional second album. It remains an important and original piece in new wave history.Tracklist Videos
The Associates
The Associates were a Scottish new wave/post-punk duo formed in Dundee in 1979 by vocalist Billy Mackenzie and multi-instrumentalist Alan Rankine. They broke through with Sulk and singles like “Party Fears Two” and “Club Country”; Rankine departed in 1982, and Mackenzie continued the name until 1990. Mackenzie died in 1997.05 Reviews
Other reviews
By vortex
Fourth Drawer Down is an album that over twenty-five years after its release still manages to amaze for its ability to expand the expressive possibilities of pop music.
Perhaps one of the last authentic dandies produced by rock music, always attentive to a rigorous aesthetic but never for its own sake.
