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The Pop Group seemed thoroughly unclassifiable during their brief lifetime between 1978 to 1980, but with a few decades' perspective, it's amazing how many trails they blazed at once -- one can hear shadows of the "neo-Marxist funk" of Gang of Four, the ragged textures of the New York No Wave movement, the jazz-influenced bleating of James Chance, the exploratory guitar work of Sonic Youth, and John Zorn's chaotic volleys of sound (not to mention Mark Stewart's later work with Tackhead and Maffia) in their small but indelible body of work. More than 30 years after the release of the odds-and-ends collection We Are Time, the Pop Group have delivered another set of rarities and live tracks from their archives, Cabinet of Curiosities, and time has done nothing to blunt the impact of this music. There may be a more clearly recognizable context for these performances, but the primal funk rhythms, the scalpel-sharp guitar patterns, the feral honk of the sax, and Mark Stewart's ranting vocals still merge and collide with an internal logic all their own. If the particulars of "She Is Beyond Good and Evil" and "Karen's Car" have dated a bit, the Pop Group's angry refusal of corrupt power in all forms is as fresh as the Google News page you reloaded 30 seconds ago, and the music accomplishes something truly remarkable, sounding abrasive and sensuous at the same time in its intelligent physicality. Given that it's devoted primarily to alternate studio takes or live versions of songs already in the Pop Group's catalog, Cabinet of Curiosities is better recommended to completists than beginners, but no matter what your level of familiarity with the Pop Group, this music will slap you across the face and demand you pay attention -- and your concentration will be well rewarded. ~ Mark Deming
