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Single Review

Defend Moscow
Die Tonight KIDS

Article written by James G - Jun 18, 2009

Nearly 30 years ago, Cardiff’s Young Marble Giants released the EP ‘Final Day’. The title track was a haunting, atmospheric, breathtaking 1 minute 40 seconds of matter-of-factness about the impending end of the world, brought about by a Nuclear Holocaust. Such was the paranoia in post-punk Britain, watching as Thatcher and Reagan’s bony fingers hovered over Apocalyptic buttons. Or so we thought. The lyric included the lines;

‘There is so much noise/ there is too much heat/And the living floor/ throws you off your feet
As the final day falls into the night/ there is peace outside in the narrow light”.

Ah, they don’t write ‘em like that anymore…

But they try to!

I listened to Defend Moscow’s ‘Die Tonight’ on the day when it was reported that North Korea stated they will "react with a force of 1000" to U.S. interference in their nuclear development programme. Everything changes and nothing changes, eh? The Muscovites’ song ‘explores the thoughts that would go through the minds of people informed that a nuclear attack had been launched, and certain death was minutes away’. Rather than adopt YMG’s low-key, minimalist approach, however, Defend Moscow opt for an uptempo sound, with a ‘dancefloor destroying beat and bassline’. Fair enough. The opening lyric is:

‘Cold underground and we cling together as one/ the radio crackles into life and it’s begun/ and if we run all day we’ll still never ever escape/ but if we run all day it will still be far too late’

… so they’ve got the same eerie feeling, but, in keeping with the retro theme, decide to Human League it up. Which works well. Especially on the accompanying remixes, the best of which is the one by ‘The Frenchie Project’.

The flip, Sign Of Life’, goes all Big Country and Then Jericho on us, before becoming an uber radio-friendly, drivetime pop song. About.sitting by the bedside of someone on a life-support machine.

And that’s Defend Moscow for you.

Links:
http://www.kidsthelabel.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/defendmoscow

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