"We're still in hock to the lords of the Norman Conquest, A ship of fools with a crazy b** at the helm". Where else would you hear a lyric like that in the pulsating 'In The Image', bristling with anger as the 'travesty of justice' visited upon us by 'uncivilisation' is brilliantly encapsulated in an infectious chorus sung by Tim and Terri about the big bad bossmen (or women) killing each other (and us) making money.
By the time we get to 'This England' the listener will feel their sense of indignation burn with a punk like intensity, In fact it reminds me of John Lennon' and Yoko Ono's 'Sometime in NYC in its directness and Tim's singing does bear a passing resemblance to the famous revolutionary songwriter's! The images keep coming of 'dark Satanic mills' churning out mobile phones as Tim rails against 'corporate media whores', 24 hour news, soap operas as an Orwellian nightmare is exposed.
'A Different Kind' is about the futility of peaceful protest and is rock 'n' roll you could dance to, expletives deleted perhaps. The final track on the 'Freedom' EP harks back to more mystical and Arthurian times when circles of corn (or should that be scorn?!) and lights in the sky prevail with Tim and Terri in great voice as we briefly leave this dark, uncomfortable world.
Don't think for one moment this stalwart band that has emerged from Census of Hallucinations is any sense p***ing in the wind. No, far from it, the music and lyrics are right on the money- sorry, an inappropriate metaphor! There is a ferocity, sense of purpose and musical togetherness here that marks out The Global Broad Band as an essential listen for anyone willing to stick their heads above the parapet and leave their comfort zone.
If any of this interests you (and is there any reason why it shouldn't?) please visit www.aural-innovations.com/stonepremonitions or e-mail at phil@paradoxone.co.uk and I'll point you in the right direction!
(Phil Jackson for Zeitgeist)