Radio 4
Stealing Of A Nation
Release Date: Sep 7, 2004
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Record label: Astralwerks
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Album Review: Stealing Of A Nation by Radio 4
Mediocre, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 4/10
Sometimes all the blame for a disaster can be traced to a simple bad decision. In the case of Radio 4 and their album Stealing of a Nation, that crucial moment was when they hired Max Heyes to produce the record. Maybe it was record company pressure, maybe it was the band's own choice, but however it came down, the result is the same. Stealing of a Nation is a slick, calculated record that misses its target on all accounts.
Based on rating 2/5
Radio 4's first album, Gotham!, was a hard-edged plea to dance while democracy dwindled. Though recorded before 9/11, its underground politicising gained a dark twist from its release in 2002. You can imagine this agenda-seizing gang of New Yorkers rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of detailing the aftermath of the atrocities, but the result is like being whacked around the face by a fresher student brandishing a soggy copy of the Socialist Worker.