Front 242

This Belgian bund's bad reputation isn't a simple function of safe-and-saners' deplorable tendency to brand powerful art they don't like fascist (viz. Albert Goldman on the Rolling Stones, 1969). In a time that demands consciousness, mobilization, taking sides, apolitical objectivism is objectively, comme on dit, reactionary. But with their stated aim of transforming received information into powerful aural images, they're aggressive-passive as opposed to passive-aggressive. The worst you could say of them is that they'd try to make their way no mater who took over--and become antifascist six months too late. As far as they're concerned, of course, the worst you could say of them is that their club and cult hits "Masterhit" and "Quite Unusual" don't exactly carpet-bomb the sensorium. But they don't. You've heard of preaching to the converted? These guys shoot the executed. (Grade: B-)