The Cabs flag falls

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 12

The Cabs flag falls

CABARET VOLTAIRE “The Covenant, The Sword, And The Arm Of The Lord” (Virgin VCV3). “The Covenant, The Sword and The Ann Of The Lord” is the third LP from the “new” Cabaret Voltaire, following a conscious deciion from the band to head (temporarily) in a more commercial direction with their wonderful 1983 LP, “The Crackdown.”

Needless to say, the British press immediately screamed “sellout,” even though it could hardly be mistaken for Buck’s Fizz. The Cabs (as nicknamed by the press) had the last laugh, however, with that album outselling all their earlier, more esoteric records.

“Micro-phonies,” released last year, further illustrated the band’s twisted notion of dance music, and provided this year’s best video clip in “Sensoria.” “Covenant” carries on the good work with some decidedly unsettling electronic music, not to mention the usual splices of tapes and sundry weird noises — Richard Kirk is not only credited with real and synthetic instruments, but also globe scanner and short wave radio!

Kirk, and the vocalist bassist, Stephen Mallinder (he of the evil sneer) still remain fascinated by all things seamy. Religion (American style), sex, corruption — all of these things are alluded to in the songs.

The interpretation is pretty much up to the individual listener, but just who this listener is remains a puzzle, as the band are tagged “disco” by the underground set while jagged funk such as “L2lst” and “Golden Halos” would not really entice the average nightclubber.

“Covenant” is raw, nervous music, but as often as it bites, it also descends into repetitiveness, especially with the lack of any real tunes.

It may be that the Cabs have done as much as they can with funk, and a change is imminent certainly, their first in the genre was easily the best. Heavy metal, perhaps? — TONY GREEN.