Image via XPosed 4Heads/Bandcamp
XPosed 4Heads - Planet A Go-Go
For Xposed 4Heads, lockdowns and coronavirus had minimal impact on their plans. "Our recording process has never been in person," says Mark G.E., lead vocalist for the Milwaukee synth-satirists. "We've always done it through files on the Internet. It allows us to be thoughtful and work out our parts" without the beat-the-clock hurry of a studio session.
Well, maybe not always. The Xposed 4Heads' 1.0, heard often on WMSE in the early ‘80s, recorded direct to cassette at a time when files were kept in metal cabinets and "internet" would have drawn a blank stare. In those days the "group" was more a concept in G.E.'s head than anything, but in 2012, he decided to form an actual working band. They have recorded actively since then, including their new album, Planet A Go-Go.
The songs bubble over with exuberance, steady dance beats, chilly new wave synthesizers and sing-along lyrics whose giddy delivery conceals subversion. The New Orderish disco throb of "Suggestion Box" carries the message that the systems we inhabit are designed to keep us circling the cul-de-sac. The more rockish "We Are All Friends Tonight" could be about the world's greatest dance party—or protesting on the streets (depending on how "turn up the Fahrenheit" is interpreted). "Kink in the System" spoofs those who believe in any "theory formed without any facts."
Their sound is tuned to frequency 1981. Quirky, silly, yet echoing a message of discontent, the 4Heads owe their greatest debt to Devo. "On one hand we're rooted in '79-'83, but we want to have a foot in now," says G.E., adding that the lyrics reflect the concerns of 2021. "We're a modern band with a retro slant."
Xposed 4Heads' lineup has jelled around G.E., guitarist Greg Barta, keyboardist Kelp Chofs, bassist Bob Jorin and drummer Andy Stilin with vocals shared by Star Girls, Theresa Ala Mode and Linda Strain. Last year's split release with Milwaukee's Quilz received airplay as far away as Ireland, Scotland and Brazil. "A DJ in Germany sent me a video of people dancing to it," G.E. says.
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In early Xposed days, G.E. was happy to be the sharp stick in the eye with smarty-pants putdowns such as the self-explanatory "People are Stupid." Nowadays, "I like to make complaints without anger—lodge my complaints in a constructive manner," he says. "There's a wink-wink in the lyrics to those of us with a progressive perspective. For everyone else there's fun and dancing."
