Crow People Wasteland: Recordings 1985–1994 2xLP
Until now, CROW PEOPLE has been a band veiled in obscurity and almost lost to the sands of time. Formed in Doncaster UK in 1979, CROW PEOPLE released several discs during their tenure, but remained a lesser-known act due to geographic isolation and limited pressings. The double disc Wasteland: Recordings 1985–1994 is a tidy package of almost every song recorded by CROW PEOPLE and filled with historic documentation of the band. This collection provides an extensive experience of the band whose sound started as jangly, BUZZCOCKS-inspired post-punk but evolved into powerful anarcho-rock that sounds a lot like KILLING JOKE or AXEGRINDER. The first few songs of this collection have hints to the future sound of the band as the distortion pedal launches a crunchy guitar lead through the midpoint of the individual tracks. However, by the fifth song “Ambition,” it becomes evident that CROW PEOPLE is headed for a much heavier direction. Most of the songs are longer than your typical punk tune, and this allows for CROW PEOPLE to explore rhythms and riffs with a bit more depth. If you’re into ZOUNDS, AMEBIX, and the MOB, then you’ll absolutely want to check this out.