Problem
Reaction (Human)
Reaction (Official)
Solution

Possibly the only redeeming feature of the recent Republican victory in America is the beneficial effect that reactionary, authoritarian regimes have on industrial music. George Bush Senior was exhaustively sampled by bands all over the world; without him, the likes of Ministry's seminal 'N.W.O.' would never have been possible. But Bill Clinton, for all his faults, never did anything offensive or disgusting enough to get immortalised in musical form, as far as I am aware; when your scandals are more to do with the careless deposition of semen than the careless detonation of 'smart' bombs, that iconic love-hate idolatry from the more dissident members of the musical community will never get the opportunity to develop.

Fittingly then, Blowjob Bill does get a thankyou in C/A/T's list of inspirations, but it is Dubya who gets the front cover spot, captured looking deeply concerned and set against a couple of helicopter gunships. And 'Reaction (Official)', clearly the centrepiece of this four-track EP, features him in cut-up form a la Evolution Control Committee or Chris Morris, sounding more lucid than usual over an upbeat electronic track reminiscent of Orbital."We've found our mission - to plot evil and destruction - to kill all Americans."

The rest of the music is more downbeat, with the first two tracks 'Problem' and 'Reaction (Human)' exploring slightly dubbier territory, and closing number 'Solution' mashing the punditry of insane thwarted goalie David Icke - whose political theories were a strong influence on this release - and other conspiriologists over a quirky ambient number in the same vein as Emulsion. Good stuff, but I'd have re-ordered the tracks; putting the strongest two at the end seems like a mistake in a CD-single format.

ABC