I’ll admit I had preconceptions here – TV Smith, old-school punker, been going forever. I expected a man stuck in the 70s. Yes – I was wrong. You can have your five minutes of gloating. What we’re presented with here is a political, witty and ultimately interesting album covering a number of musical styles over the course of 12 songs.
Misinformation Overload is a pleasant listen with lines here and there that raise a wry smile, as well as well-trodden anti-war pro-people lines that we’ve heard a thousand times before – but surprisingly in a world where everyone and their dog thinks they know all things ever about politics, TV sounds genuine and manages to avoid patronising his audience. I can’t help but think of Springsteen at some points. A random thought for you there, but that’s what you get when writing from a stream of conscious. Why should he show his ID indeed?
Yeah, so this is a decent album. Frankly, it’s nothing world changing and the satire seems to dampen out any genuine anger that Telly (snak snak) may have, leaving a listener waiting for the next witticism as opposed to taking the message on board. It’s great to see someone from the first wave of British punk keeping their sound fresh and encouraging that anti-everything anthems can still come across without conjuring up thoughts of twelve year olds protesting against Bush via Myspace. That is a thought that plagues my every waking hour. Decent album, but not stunning. Ah well.
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Ianos