a a r o n

The most telling description of Henry Cow's music comes from the movement they started, Rock In Opposition (henceforth denoted RIO). Their music truly is "in opposition." It pounds with the fury and intensity of rock music, but it cannot be called "rock." It shows the intelligence and musical knowledge of classical music, but it refuses to fit into any established style. It has plenty of dissonance and avant-garde tendencies, and it certainly challenges the listener, but it does not drive the listener away. Above all, though, it is in opposition to the commerciality of music, and this music is certainly not commercial. They started as a fun, jazzy Canterbury style prog band (Legend), gradually moving in a more avant-garde direction (starting on Unrest). In Praise of Learning, a collaboration with Slapp Happy, saw them moving in a more purely avant-garde direction, but it faltered slightly at times, failing to live up to their first two releases (though their other album with Slapp Happy, Desperate Straights, is fantastic). On Western Culture, however, they take the best elements of In Praise of Learning, tighten them, and the result is a masterpiece. Unlike previous releases, Western Culture is entirely instrumental and entirely composed, which is a large part of why it is their best work. While their improvisations often succeeded, they also often didn't. Their compositions, on the other hand, almost always were highlights on their respective albums. As for the vocals, they are simply unnecessary here, as the music tells a potent story (two actually) without the need for Chris Cutler's overly preachy lyrics. Western Culture is split into two halves, each telling its own story. The first, "History and Prospects," is a three part musical representation of the decay of western society (Henry Cow were far left politically). The second, "Day By Day," seems to look for equality in everyday life, as is highlighted by final track, "Half the Sky," whose title comes from the Chinese proverb, "women hold up half the sky." Not coincidentally, "Half the Sky" was a collaboration between Lindsay Cooper (who wrote the rest of "Day By Day") and Tim Hodgkinson (who wrote "History and Prospects"). Those familiar with the band's earlier work might be dismayed to learn that Chris Cutler and Fred Frith do not have any songwriting credits, but have no fear, for those songs are on Art Bears' excellent Hopes and Fears album. "History and Prospects" opens with the mind-boggling "Industry," which is the band's single greatest achievement. An exercise in listenable dissonance for the first six minutes, it builds up to a pounding climax that features what is, quite frankly, the best drumming I have ever heard. This entire CD redefines the notion of a drummer's role in the band, as Chris Cutler does not limit himself to just rhythms, but instead creates his own musical themes with his trademark "pots and pans" style drumming. Indeed, one of the most compelling moments on Western Culture comes on "Falling Away" (the first part of "Day By Day"), where Cutler duels with Lindsay Cooper on what I believe is bassoon (or some other reed instrument). But, returning to "History and Prospects," don't be worried that Western Culture falters after opening with "Industry." The controlled chaos of "The Decay of Cities" and the faint, desperate, despairing saxophone whine of "On the Raft" are worthy follow-ups to "Industry." Whereas "History and Prospects" largely focused on dissonance and Cutler's drumming, "Day By Day" features reed instruments prominently and is far less overbearing. Indeed, when "Falling Away" explodes into the racing reed instrument theme about a minute in, it wouldn't be a stretch to call it bouncy. It's still no easy listen — "Look Back" is similar to the darkness and despair of Univers Zero's Heresie – but it's more accessible for the newcomer to Henry Cow's music. Even "Half the Sky," which features more of the whining saxophone that colored "On the Raft," can't stay bleak for long, featuring happier reed sections later on. Henry Cow left the world with a rich musical history — four studio CDs and the legendary Rock In Opposition movement. Even after they disbanded, Chris Cutler and Fred Frith would go on to produce plenty of excellent music in bands such as Art Bears, News From Babel, Skeleton Crew, Cassiber, Massacre, and far more (I don't like all of these bands, but they all feature Cutler and/or Frith). However, Western Culture is the clear masterpiece of the many Henry Cow and related offerings, a stunning slice of perfection that is essential for anyone interested in avant-garde rock music, or even just really good drumming. It takes a while to get used to, but once it hits, it hits hard. Needless to say, I give it my highest recommendation. review by Aaron N. — 3-4-08 —

n i c k

When critics speak of progressive rock, they often speak of long solos, rotating drum risers, and bloated egos. They speak of over-the-top spectacles and flashy, yet empty epics. Henry Cow's final album, Western Culture, is a brutal affront to such notions. Western Culture is an austere work of a rock group as chamber orchestra who are very serious about their compositions. What results is a serious sounding album, but one that contains many moments of fractured beauty. Western Culture is a very intellectual work that must be listened to with complete concentration to fully grasp. Composed as two side long instrumental suites, "History and Prospects" and "Day by Day", by Tim Hodgkinson and Lindsay Cooper respectively, Western Culture could serve as a soundtrack to the decay of, well, western culture. "Industry," the only track on Western Culture with any recognizable rock influences, takes the listener to the heart of an industrial wasteland with a freaked out, high pitch organ, clangorous percussion, and scraping violins. "Decay of Cities" begins with a dissonant but lovely classical guitar part and while not as violent as "Industry," it is no less intense. A lush, almost impressionistic piece, "On the Raft" is the anomaly on Western Culture. Lindsay Cooper's piece, "Falling Away", is perhaps the best track on the album, with many changes and great musical variety. "Half the Sky" is a collaboration between Cooper and Hodginkinson which represents each composers' merits well. review by Nick Paluzzi — 12-20-03 —

b r a n d o n

I came about this all backwards. I heard the likes of U Totem and Motor Totemist Guild long before ever hearing the record that sounds like it could be the single most important influence on those bands, Western Culture. This album has been described as "contemporary classical music played with rock instruments," but given the ubiquitousness of Chris Cutler's virtuoso drumming, I'm not sure that's a particularly accurate take. Still, it does offer some sense of the major thrust of the album. Indeed, Western Culture is a far cry from the Canterbury jazziness of Legend, the free-improv of parts of Unrest and Concerts, or the Slapp Happy-influenced songcraft of In Praise of Learning; and it is closer in spirit to classical music than any of those albums. The first three tracks compose Tim Hodgkinson's "History and Prospects" suite, and given the overall tone (not to mention song titles), it's not hard to guess that Hodgkinson probably has a less-than-optimistic view of the history and prospects of humanity (or, at least, industrial capitalism). "The Decay of Cities" is particularly aptly-named, with its oddly jaunty initial themes followed abruptly by an apocalyptic climax full of fuzzed-out guitars and ominously bleating horns. But the best segment is "Industry" — let's just say that if there is contemporary classical music out there that rocks this hard, I need to hear it. Bassoonist Lindsay Cooper's "Day by Day" comprises the final four tracks, not counting three bonus tracks included on the 2002 ReR/ESD reissue. For my money this sidelong suite gives "Living in the Heart of the Beast" (from In Praise of Learning) some serious competition for the title of Ultimate Henry Cow Composition. Less "rock" than Hodgkinson's material, "Day by Day" leans more heavily on woodwinds and features a few surprises, such as the wonderful free-jazz piano solo in "Gretel's Tale" that channels the spirit of Cecil Taylor and is juxtaposed, for its latter half, against a dramatic catastrophe of dissonant horns and formless noise. Throughout this piece, one is reminded of a somewhat cheerier Univers Zero, or of the latter-day Cow-influenced bands such as the aforementioned U Totem. Heady, hyper-complex stuff, and though it may not be particularly close to rock music, there's Chris Cutler, always beating the drums without really ever playing anything straightforward. Western Culture is probably Henry Cow's most consistently excellent work, which is impressive given that it was recorded essentially in the midst of the band's breakup. While I will always be partial to In Praise of Listening for Dagmar's voice and "Living in the Heart of the Beast" (and the fact that it's the first Cow I ever heard), I could make a strong case for this one being Henry Cow's masterpiece. The ensuing excellent solo careers of virtually all the Cow musicians has shown that this is not a band that would have devolved into releasing a RIO equivalent of Love Beach or Invisible Touch, but nevertheless it's admirable that this is a band that knew well enough to quit while at the absolute top of its game. review by Brandon Wu — 6-14-05 —