Always Now

by

Section 25

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Well now, what to say, what to say...this has been one of my absolute favorites since it first released in 1981. Those fortunate enough to own the vinyl version were treated to one of the most exquisitely designed sleeves ever, with ornate marble printing elegantly hiding within a sturdy school bus yellow folding envelope. But it got even better from there. The music takes you on a journey, that, to me, rivals anything Joy Divsion or Crispy Ambulance ever embarked upon. Deeply interesting and very different, moody and hopeful, angry and serene, and then deeply interesting again. Included here on the import CD version you get 9 extra songs (numbers 11-19), which for me wreck the final mood that New Horizon leaves you with, but there are still a few fine works in the extra set, especially #'s 14, 15, and 16, which were produced in part by Joy Division's Ian Curtis. Section 25 is like an emergency flare you fire in desperation toward the black sky when you're stranded in a life raft. Play it loud, and float upstream into the fullness of the void.

Out of the various Joy Division influenced bands that were around in the same scene, Section 25 were one of the lesser ones, that followed in the footsteps of their influences but did not stray from the path. The Sound and especially the Comsat Angels had a musical take that though not unique was still important and influential. Section 25 seemed to mimic the Joy Division sound a bit too closely, so that although they are not quite copying Joy Division (their sound is flat, dull and plodding whereas Joy Division's "She's Lost Control" has a nervous energy) they are too close for comfort. Anyway, if you've purchased Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen and the Teardrop Explodes and are looking for lesser known bands of the depressive but not goth post punk variety, that still are of significance, Section 25 has a certain following. Better yet fast forward to bands such as Interpol that took a fresh approach to this sound and reinvented it for a whole new audience.