By early 1981 the group had split apart, with singer/guitarists Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle reuniting in the early '90s to release the mostly humdrum Trade Test Transmissions. It seemed then that the times had passed them by. But now comes their self-titled seventh studio album, with fresh life. While the giddiness of the Buzzcocks' heyday has been replaced by a surly nihilism (in "Useless," Shelley sings, "Life's only temporary/ And then you fuckin' die"), the foursome still knows a good hook (as with the downcast yet urgent "Sick City Sometimes"), and it maintains that distinctively surging guitar sound -- despite a few more melodramatic power chords this time around. The new rhythm team of bassist Tony Barber (of Creation) and drummer Philip Barker lacks the elastic snap of predecessors Steve Garvey and John Maher, yet provides plenty of propulsive oomph. As the punk/pop sound the band pioneered has become (oy!) mainstream, perhaps Buzzcocks will finally reap the band members some returns on this side of the Atlantic.
