Continuing in the vein of yesterday's post, here is another album that hasn't seen much action in The Vicar's house until recently: Infected by The The. More or less a guise of Matt Johnson with a revolving door of guest musicians, The The runs the gamut from dance-pop to country, fervent soul to rock. Infected's overall tone and swagger suggest dance-pop, but don't get the impression it's made for dancing. The songs seethe instead of preen and Matt Johnson's lyrics are laced with tension. Thematically, he plunges a lance into the exposed midsection of Great Britain, analyzing the state of modern urban life in the country and there's no denying the record's acerbic lyricism or dark-toned instrumentation. Infected was the first true indication of Johnson's mercurial nature, and established the dissonance and reinvention of his later work. For your listening (dis)pleasure:

The The: Infected

The The: Out Of The Blue (Into The Fire)

The The: Angels Of Deception

The The: Slow Train To Dawn