Art Bears - The World As It Is Today (1981) {2011, Remastered}

10 Nov, 12:17
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Artist: Art Bears
Title: The World As It Is Today
Year Of Release: 1981 / 2011
Label: ReR Megacorp #ReR áb3
Genre: Art Rock, Avantgarde, Progressive Rock, Post-Punk
Quality: EAC Rip -> FLAC (Tracks+Cue+m3u8,Log) / MP3 CBR320
Total Time: 00:31:33
Total Size: 239 / 128 Mb (Full Scans)
WebSite: Album Preview

The World as It Is Today is the third and last album by English avant-rock group Art Bears. It was recorded at Sunrise Studio in Kirchberg, Switzerland between 24 August and 7 September 1980, and was first released in 1981. The World as It Is Today comprises 11 songs, all composed by Fred Frith with texts by Chris Cutler. The last song, "Albion, Awake!" was recorded as an instrumental because Dagmar Krause objected strongly to the violent nature of the lyrics. The lyrics for "Albion, Awake!", however, still appear in the booklet accompanying the album. In 2013 the lyrics were set to music for Áine O'Dwyer's album Anything Bright or Startling?

If you thought Henry Cow was a pretty political band to start with, you may be even more taken aback by the Art Bears, which was put together following Henry Cow's demise by former Cows Chris Cutler (percussion), Fred Frith (guitar, violin), and Dagmar Krause (voice). On The World As It Is Today and its predecessor, Winter Songs, the Art Bears move away from the long-form art rock of Henry Cow and get much, much more politically explicit: song titles like "The Song of the Dignity of Labour Under Capital" and "The Song of Investment Capital Overseas" almost sound like Monty Python gags today, but if any humor was intended it was clearly meant to be mordant. Frankly, the lyrics are so overwrought and portentous that it's hard to take them seriously. But the music is something else again. Cutler and Frith are natural collaborators; Cutler's drumming always rides a very fine line between the scattershot and the funky, while Frith bounces his horror-show guitar noise and carnival piano off of Cutler's grooves with manic abandon and fearsome inventiveness. And Krause's singing is just as inventive; she whoops, croons and screams her way through the density of Cutler's lyrics without a hesitation or misstep. Easy listening it isn't, but it's sure worth hearing. Frith fans, in particular, should consider this album a must-own.

~ Rick Anderson, All Music

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Art Bears - The World As It Is Today (1981) {2011, Remastered}

Track List:

01. The Songs of Investment Capital Overseas [2:38]
02. Thruth [2:55]
03. Freedom [3:18]
04. (Armed) Peace [2:28]
05. Civilisation [4:39]
06. Democracy [2:22]
07. The Song of the Martyrs [4:05]
08. Law [0:49]
09. The Song of the Monopolists [1:46]
10. The Song of the Dignity of Labour under Capital [2:27]
11. Albion Awake! [4:09]

Personnel:
Fred Frith - guitars, keyboards, viola, violin, xylophone
Chris Cutler - drums, electric drums, noise
Dagmar Krause - vocals

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