The gods can be cruel sometimes, especially when thy team up with lawyers to force the untimely demise of one of Britans coolest and most original bands. Cable's premature dissipation is a sad enough event without this album, but the 'what-might-have-been' element makes it even more depressing.
'Sub-Lingual' sees the Derby-based foursome discovering the power of a good tune, cutting down on the head-fucking discordant jams of old and condensing thier sound into three-minute cluster-bombs of edgy but instant alterna-pop. This is the sound of a band spreading thier wings to fly the nest, not rolling over to die.
Take the magnificent 'Honolulu', for instance, which flits from lo-fi delicacy into a souring pop chorus, or opener 'Song 1', which buzzes around your head like a bee on heat with sci-fi guitar flourishes and scuzzed-up post-hardcore powerchords. Then theres 'Arthur Walker', the punchiest and catchiest thing they've ever done, and the gorgeous ebb and flow of 'Comprendez?' with it's demented woo-woo's. The list goes on.
It may be little more than an epitaph now, but 'Sub-Lingual' is still a fantastic 43 minutes, and one for which the band will be fondly remembered.