ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
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Album reviews with Simon Duff: November 11, 2024
New releases from Propaganda, David Gilmour and Jon Hopkins
SUE TURNER welcomes a thoughtful, engaging book that lays bare the economic realities of global waste management
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
SIMON PARSONS applauds an imaginative and absorbing updating of Strindberg’s classic
PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
MICK McSHANE rubs shoulders with Mod legend Steve Craddock and joins in with the joyous Glasgow choir
DENNIS BROE sifts out the ideological bias of the newest TV series offerings, and picks out what to see, and what to avoid
Propaganda
Propaganda
(Bureau B)
★★★★★
GERMAN electronic pioneers Propaganda’s music first emerged in the mid-1980s. An eclectic fusion of Wagner, Abba, Simple Minds and Prince. Epic chord progressions, melodic intensity and driven production ideals. Those ideals remain firmly in tact on the new album. Founding members Michael Mertens and Ralf Dorper are joined by vocalist Thunder Bae.
Album opener They Call Me Nocebo is imbued with the nocturnal mood of vintage Propaganda but expresses itself within the context of modern dance and new electronic sounds. Purveyor of Pleasure continues that feel, full of intense rhythms, and pulsating Moog bass. The standout track is Tipping Point, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXRHGS3A3cw, a high-octane delight taking on issues of climate crisis and the rise of the far right in Europe.
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