Colossal Youth

by

Young Marble Giants

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A handful of remarkable groups got lost in the shuffle of first UK post-punk invasion of 1979-81. The short lived Young Marble Giants are among the groups whose influence has long outlasted their short lifespan. The Welsh natives Young Marble Giants performed together for two years (1979-1980) and their body of work consists of one EP ("Test Card") and this astounding full length album, "Colossal Youth". It stands with Public Image Ltd.'s "Metal Box", Gang of Four's "Entertainment" and Au Pair's "Playing With A Different Sex" as landmark albums of the post punk movement. The sonic dissonance of PIL's "Poptones" or Gang of Four's "Anthrax" stood in marked contrast to chief songwriter Stuart Moxham's devotion to well crafted music, in this song cycle about love and betrayal, in the time of cynicism. YMG's embrace of traditional pop music structures proved to be visionary. In hindsight, the dense soundscapes and sonic experiements of the Young Marble Giants' post-punk peers lost their resonance by the mid 80s, but "Colossal Youth" endures as a powerful statement on tainted love among the ruins of the Reagan/Thatcher era.

YMG were devotees of the minimalist school with two instrumentalists; Stuart Moxham on guitar and organ, and his brother, Phil Moxham on bass. Instead of a drummer, the Moxhams preferred to employ the metronome-like precision of drum machine for percussion. The production values are of the one-take, no frills variety, but there is a warm analogic glow that bathes every track with a sharp, crisp fidelity. Stuart Moxham's music shared a greater affinity with some of the moody atmospheric pop of the Velvet Underground, rather the "crash and burn" anthems favored by the first wave punk generation in the UK. "Colossal Youth" may well be the earliest post-punk experiment with down-tempo music. YMG used a twist of irony and an avant garde sensibility to subvert pop tradition to their own ends. Allison Statton sang in a winsome and waif-like soprano. Stuart wrote clever double-edged lyrics that contained deeply troubling observations about the fragility of human relationships, and the loss of innocence. Moxham's trained eye for compelling imagery in his lyrics, is not unlike that of his fellow Welsh native son, poet Dylan Thomas. Allison's sunny/rainy moods and meandering vocals are a startling contrast to Stuart's dark lyrical content.

Each song on "Colossal Youth" is a well constructed pop song layered with multiple meanings. Allison's deceptively serene lilt was a well calculated counterpoint for the haunting sense of alienation that Stuart Moxham's songs often conveyed. She often tossed off Moxham's bittersweet lyrics with a sing-song detachment of a world weary child. The rewards are many for the listener who probes beyond the polished veneer of songs like; "Credit In the Straight World", "Searching For Mr. Right" and "Man Amplifier" . It appeared that YMG was deconstructing their own music and challenging the listener to unmask the truth lurking between the lines. Therein lays the genius of YMG, and the reason why they still have a cult of fans nearly 25 years after their break-up. Indeed, Allison Statton's short lived collaboration with the Moxham brothers was one of those rare moments when popular music meets high art. Each individual member of YMG worked on highly praised projects when the group disbanded, but none have recaptured the magic of "Colossal Youth."

YMG a single US tour of a half-dozen east coast cities in 1980. I saw them at CBGB's in New York and their performance was riveting. There was once a commercially produced VCR tape of the CBGB/Mudd Club performance on the market. The last time I saw it for purchase was in a well known music chain store in the late eighties. I wish I would have bought the tape then, but I didn't own a VCR, at the time. YMG broke up shortly after that US tour, and perhaps "Colossal Youth" was the only statement they ever intended to make. It would have been nearly impossible for YMG to improve upon the gorgeous austerity of this album on any subsequent studio outings. Maybe that's why they elected to call it quits early in the game. Groups like Saint Etienne, Portishead, the Cranes, Massive Attack, Aimee Mann and even Bjork have all acknowledged a debt to our hopelessly obscure heroes of YMG. This is an essential album for anyone who is a collector of punk and post-punk artifacts. This album goes out of issue frequently and was unavailable for over 10 years domestically. My tip is to buy it while it's available, because it's near impossible to find "Colossal Youth" when it's out of issue, and sellers demand a huge price for YMG rarities.