Stealing of a Nation

VINYL FORMAT. "Do your life justice." Those are the words at the end of the song "Nation," the cornerstone of Radio 4's third album, "Stealing of a Nation." Whether you consider the lyric a demand of our leaders or a reminder to ourselves, the point is this: Radio 4 feel a sense of purpose, and they want to it share with you. With "Stealing of a Nation," the follow-up to 2002's highly-acclaimed "Gotham!," that's precisely what they do.

Produced by Max Heyes (Doves, Primal Scream) and recorded in Radio 4's hometown, New York City, "Stealing of a Nation" is an aural attack of widely varied ingredients that comes together with pinpoint precision. Futuristic dance beats mate with traditional punk values; dub bass lines bed down with techno keyboards and funk guitar riffs; polyrhythmic percussion breaks get busy with acoustic guitars. And it all sounds like the most natural thing in the world. From the dark propellant groove of lead single "Party Crashers" to the drum-less humid atmospherics of the finale, "Coming Up Empty," "Stealing of a Nation" is the album Radio 4 have been building towards since first coming together five years ago. Their influences are now implied rather than worn on their sleeves like badges. Radio 4 sound like...Radio 4.