May Inspire Revolutionary Acts

What a band! The Mob might have been inextricably bound up within the anarcho-punk movement, both musically and politically, but their bassy clatter always hinted at ambitions and abilities far beyond the parameters of their pigeonhole, particularly across the 1981 Ching cassette that opens this collection. Nine songs evoke nothing so much as a more melodic Joy Division (or perhaps the Pornography-era Cure), although you would never categorize the band as goth. With slow and luxurious deliberation, they are carving out a far more evocative niche than that. Earlier Mob recordings are equally gripping, if somewhat less formed; a couple of unreleased tracks include an alternate version of the 1979 debut single "Crying Again," and lead into four songs contributed to the Tribute to Bert Weedon cassette, showcasing the band alongside Zounds and the Androids of Mu. The album wraps up with four live cuts from 1983, as brutal and brash as they ought to be, and recorded with more clarity than you might expect. An excellent compilation reminding listeners of an excellent band, The Mob May Inspire Revolutionary Acts is one of the most aptly titled albums you'll ever hear. They really might.