Never Bought, Never Sold LP (Mississippi Records, 2008)
Revel in the Static CD (Hyped to Death, 2005)
Took Never Bought, Never Sold for a spin today, which led to a listen of the Revel in the Static CD as well, both making me realize how lucky I was to secure these gems years ago. My mind usually goes blank when people ask why I still collect physical media when “everything” can be streamed nowaways, so if you’re like me, here’s a great example of a treasure that currently can only be found in an unadulterated form in the physical realm. Sure, you can find a few shitty YouTube clips of these songs here and there, or some compressed MP3s, but they really diminish the experience of these well-mastered tracks jumping out of your speakers. It’s the equivalent of seeing a pixelated bar of gold on YouTube vs holding that solid gold bar in your hand. And for poetic justice, you can find either of these compilations on Discogs and in the wild for about or less than what you’re paying for one month of your streaming service that ain’t got these glimmering gems.
Never Bought, Never Sold is 14 tracks of pure angular UK postpunk collecting their singles and demos from 1979-1983 onto a solid Mississippi Records quality 12″ LP, while Revel in the Static jams 25 tracks into a shiny 5″ CD. Both feature tracks by a later lineup of the band known as The Terraplanes, but for simplicity’s sake, both releases just call the band Animals + Men. Never Bought, Never Sold mixes the Terraplanes tracks, unlabeled in the tracklist but noted on the insert, while Revel in the Static neatly organizes them with tracks 13-25 being The Terraplanes. That’s really unimportant though, as the tracks all fit together well, so the only thing to consider is whether you’re looking for a curated vinyl LP experience or the completist 60+ minute CD collection as your way to experience the brilliance of the band.
That technical info aside, let’s focus on the important info: the music. Animals + Men delivered a snappy, punchy contagious strain of postpunk with a conviction that exceeded the outpout of many of their contemporaries and the wave of bands that followed in their wake. Their sound is like the missing link between the 1960s Nuggets garage scorchers and Kleenex/Liliput’s angular, minimalist punk. If that sounds interesting to you, or if other groups like Gang of Four or Wire are your cup of tea, then you gotta give Animals + Men a listen. But don’t think you know them based on those comparisons. Their approach scratches garage, goth, noise, and angular postpunk itches with a loose, earnest amateur charm.
Animals + Men’s first single is a lo-fi transmission to a future world with their cutting tracks “Don’t Misbehave in the New Age” and “We Are Machines”, each casting a gloomy light on the Brave New World they saw coming in 1979 when it was released. Another gem is the track “Treasure of the Damned”, which could be a goth/deathrock blueprint with a repetitive, haunting minor key dirge featuring a reverbed guitar tone that vibrates with the throwback garage punk heat of The Cramps. And just try to listen to “Headphones” without tapping a toe. Susan Well’s voice veers off key here and there, but it’s a perfect fit for the crackling kinetic energy contained within, as echoes of skeletal classic rock elements get bent through a punk filter with the explosive urgency of the C86 era that birthed them. Even something as potentially hokey as 1980s harmonica comes off as the genius accent that keeps this music from being forgettable, even if, or perhaps especially because the streaming overlords have overlooked it.
Today’s major streamers don’t have these gems at the ready, but you can actually stream or purchase many of the tracks from these essential comps on the band’s Bandcamp page, just hit the links below. If you’re craving to hold some of this genius in your hands, these comps are readily available on Discogs and in better record shops’ used bins, or you can even snag O.G. copies of these at prices that belie their pricelessness.