NOTES:
Stanard Ridgway: Vocals, keyboards, harmonica.
Marc Moreland: Guitars.
Bruce Moreland: Bass, keyboards.
Chas Gray: Keyboards, synthesizers.
Joe Nanini: Percussion

Produced by Jim Hill, Paul McKenna and Wall of Voodoo.
Copyright 1981, International Record Syndicate, Inc.

So, you think that Wall of Voodoo are just another has-been from the 80's and they should be doomed forever to countless appearances on compilation albums with the likes of Men Without Hats, Haircut 100 and A Flock of Seagulls (because, you know, they all sound the same anyway)?  Wrong.  Dark Continent marked the first full-length release from the underrated band whose previous 1980 self-titled E.P. (recently reissued by Restless Records with eleven bonus live tracks) showcased an overwhelming departure from the New Wave sound with primal rhythms, weird sound effects and inventive guitar work.  However, with Continent, Wall of Voodoo finally hit their stride, and there hasn't been anyone before or since that has sounded remotely like them.

Musically speaking, the components of the band don't seem all that creative: a drum machine, synthesizers, one guitarist, etc.  But it's what the band does with their equipment that makes it all so intriguing.  Stanard Ridgway's barking vocal style is a key component, and he's more apt to sing about animals, fixing cars and going to work; in fact, he's obsessed with the oppressive nature of employment.  His lyrics on the subject range from the campy "Two Minutes Till Lunch" ("Just then I heard my foreman call/'Don't touch that you'll blow this place up'"), the hysterical back-and-forth banter between a hapless employee and a dictating boss in "Back in Flesh" ("Well, I'd rather go bowling/'The lanes are closed'/Maybe a little tennis?/'Your racket's got a hole'/How about some baseball?/'The field's rained out'"), or the stark "Me and My Dad" ("He's telling me how he died to live/Working hard labor").

The driving force behind the band is undoubtedly percussionist Joe Nanini.  Using a drum machine as a backing device, he utilizes temple blocks, triangles and cowbells to further define the band's unique sound.  However, the real find lies in the extremely inventive guitar style of Marc Moreland.  He plays somewhat like a cross between Poison Ivy of the Cramps and Johnny Cash. With songs like "Call Box," "Tse Tse Fly," and "Crack the Bell," Moreland's unique picking style, and intense rhythmic sense gives the band an bold and edgy style that has yet to be matched.

Dark Continent is also peppered with weird ambient effects, and an overt sense of humor.  Take for instance the frenzied synthesizer effects in "Me and My Dad," and "Back in Flesh," and the truly bizarre instrumental passages that popup in between songs.  Overall, it's quite interesting to hear the band right before they invaded the airways a year later with "Mexican Radio."

I'm not even going to begin to discuss Wall of Voodoo's Western motifs (which could probably fill an entire book), but if I were you, I'd consider picking this puppy up, because it's a true original.  It might be difficult to find, however, because it's out of print - so check those used record stores.

This modern world deserves a modern attitude.