Antelope - Reflector

Punk has never been the same since the early Eighties. The 'fuck the establishment' attitude was diluted by major label co-option; frantically energetic non-tunes have been replaced by multi-layered song-structuring; and the thirty minute record has become a 70 minute opus. So, to a certain degree, Antelope's new LP, Reflector, is Punk. Staggering in at under half an hour, this is a rancid blast of sneering non-conformity that revisits the new-wave chaos of PiL. But what this record lacks is the full-blooded throng of youth. Tracks like the lethargic bass-led blossom of Flower or the stuttering Contraction suffer from a rigidity that transpires from the pressure of trying to recreate the past. Every angled riff and sporadic drum beat appears contrived and, while there's no doubting the Washington trio's dedication to their idols' anarchic ethos, Reflector's lack of originality ensures Antelope have as little relevance to punk's past as they do today. [Billy Hamilton]