November 6, 1999

Primal Scream : Swastika eyes

Premillennial tension? Forget about it. The tension's going to be lasting an awful lot longer than that.

Hey multinational organisation! Hey industrial fat cat! Hey right-wing government! Hey unprincipled chemical-tester! Hey persistent double-parker!

Heeeeere we go!

For the good, the bad and the mad this implies, this could only be Primal Scream. To move on the game by making a pretty bloody basic and bloody-minded dance record. To get a bit lost in a lot of books about political theory, and come out a bit hot and bothered. To think about solving the problems of the world, and what's more doing it with the assistance of The Chemical Brothers. Fair enough. Only Primal Scream would get everything a bit out of proportion to consider such a thing. And under the circumstances, realistically, only they could pull it off.

'Swastika Eyes' is a disco record about the manner in which the far right has done its best to screw up the world, and like all the best Primal Scream records it

takes complicated and sophisticated notions and finds their rock'n'roll essence. It sounds like two things.

The first is The Chemical Brothers, because one of the mixes is basically 'Block Rockin' Beats' but a bit faster. The second, on the mix by Sabre Of Paradise Jagz Kooner, is Joy Division doing the Dr Who theme. And

both, though utterly different and utterly odd, serve their purpose admirably.

Premillennial tension? Forget about it. The tension's going to be lasting an awful lot longer than that.

David Stubbs