Cultural Amnesia were the trio of English players John Peacock, Ben Norland and Gerard Greenway, and I can only assume still are…formed in 1979, they originally performed and recorded up to 1983, then resurfaced around 2007 with the collection Enormous Savages, which is probably where we first heard their odd blend of post-punk, electronic and industrial moves. It was soon followed by the double LP Press My Hungry Button on Vinyl-On-Demand, the spiritual (and physical) home of much cassette band and indie music from “that” period.
Well, Cultural Amnesia are back today with a new collection Did You Hear The Music (ICE CREAM FOR CROW RECORDS / IRON BANANA IB28), released on cassette and remaining true to their typical red, black, and white colour scheme with the cover artworks, this time featuring a found graphic which might be sourced from a scientific textbook illustrating the workings of the inner ear. It seems the band have a “large archive” of songs recorded after year 2000, from which today’s release is drawn. Evidently, they haven’t absorbed any influences whatsoever from contemporary music of the last 25 years, eschewing techno beats and modern production techniques, and pretty much stay in that corner of the post-punk zone which they have colonised and made their own. (One possible exception might be ‘Beston Forest’ on the B-side, which is almost like Dark Ambient.)
It’s certainly well recorded and well produced, and it’s got the lean and spare sounds that will likely appeal to UK listeners who turned to New Wave and post-punk as a welcome relief from the overly complicated layers of prog and art rock. Cultural Amnesia leave cunning little gaps in their musical phrases, creating enjoyable tension and snap, even as their tunes fail to move with anything resembling a funky groove, soulful shuffle, or even a simple rock beat. One can’t help feel that they’re striving so hard to achieve an innovative and radical form of music that they’re unable to simply enjoy the pleasure of playing music together; each song ends up mannered and stilted. My other stumbling block remains the “clever” lyrics, the pseudo-intellectual themes and concepts, and the singing voice, which often seems to be faintly sneering at the idiotic antics of other human beings; there’s a certain detachment, irony, bordering on the supercilious. There’s much to admire in the deathly precision with which each word is enunciated, and the unflagging effort being made to avoid lapsing into rockist clichés, such as imitating an American accent like Elton John or Rod Stewart; but then when he sings ‘Baby, I’m Cursed’, all that hard work is undone in a moment.
If you can overlook the voice, you’ll discover there’s some quite-good keyboard music produced by the team which reminds us of Scritti Politti, Family Fodder, and Sudden Sway. And if you can acquire a taste for the strained singing voice, you’re in for a good time. (24/09/2025)