Public Image Ltd – Album (1986)

December 31, 2024

I’m almost loathe to say it, because naturally I’d like to think that I would personally prefer more challenging and experimental music, but PiL’s Album – a fairly straightforward and pleasant record in comparison to some of their others – is their best album to date chronologically. The meandering weirdness of the previous records is dialled back, and the songs whilst not particularly traditional in how they are laid out are indeed more streamlined than ever.

Complimenting this change is a bright, up-beat vibe and a clear, sparkling production. Comparisons can still be made to post-punk contemporaries Killing Joke (particularly in the jangly guitars or intense fits of tribal drumming that still pop up now and then), but songs like “FFF”, “Ease” or “Rise” are almost pop-like in their pleasantness.