10 Near Perfect Post Punk Albums

As Entertainment! progresses it's clear this isn't your standard post punk record. There's innate element of funk to it. Whereas many post punk groups of this era used monotonous bass lines to drive everything along, Gang Of Four used far more funked out melodies. The bass constantly dictate the dance motion of each track with a joyousness, unusual for the genre. This loose and playful sound is set in stark contrast to the guitar, however.

For the most part, the guitar playing is a series of staccato thrashes, played harshly, like a robot who has no real concept of rhythm, only timing. It's particularly noticeable on the opening track. But as the album progresses you start hearing that sounds that would be adopted by indie bands of later decades.

Not Great Men and Damaged Goods, in particular sound like they could have been released during the indie revival of the 2000s. The Strokes couldn't possibly have made, This Is It, with out Gang Of Four exploring this sound first.

There's a real duality to this record. On the one hand, all the harsh, grating guitars and politically charged lyrics might make it unappealing, but on the other hand, there's an intrinsic alluring nature to it, due to all the dance inducing grooves.