(Almo)

Five years ago, an English band combined hip hop, rock and rap with socio-political rantings released a wittily titled debut album, Lenin & McCarthy. The 25th of May, fronted by the charismatic Steve Swindelli, unfortunately didn't make much of an impact on the music scene, but their legacy still makes an occasional appearance in my disc player.

Fast forward to 1997, and Swindelli (with no first name) has returned as the leader of Manbreak. The group's name comes from a secret military program of the 1950s and 1960s where the British government exposed some of its soldiers to low-level chemical weapons, and then let them loose on an assault course to test their performance. And, just like with his previous band, Swindelli offers a few musical assaults of his own.

The leadoff track, "Ready Or Not", offers a good cross-section of what Manbreak is all about. Searing guitars (taken from the book of Jimmy Page) combine with Swindelli's passionate vocals, as he asks the listener what they want out of life.

Those who mourn music without meaning need look no further than this disc. "Kop Karma" is, according to Swindelli, 'How our taxes pay for us to get beaten up by the police - Rodney King will testify to that.' "Cut Ups" was inspired by a story in the Socialist Worker (note the political slant?) of a policeman, who attemps to talk a woman out of committing suicide from a high ledge, joining her on a jump to death. Rather than advocating violence (as he's previously done), Swindelli implores the listener to look inside themselves to seek the answers.

Sure, pop sounds creep into Swindelli's work; witness the Lennon-esque ballad "God's Never Heard of You" or "Future Days", whose musical chorus owes a debt to "Paperback Writer" - turned up to 7 on the stereo. "News Of The World" keeps up a frantic pace while delivering the necessary hooks, and "City Life" is Genesis' "Turn It On Again" if Mike Rutherford could ever turn *his* guitar up. But more than anything, Manbreak's Come And See provides a cross-section of the last 20 years of rock, rap and politics.