Infected's sound still suggests dance-pop, especially on the title track. But don't get the impression that it's made for dancing. Instead of the light fare displayed on Soul Mining, Infected's songs seethe instead of preen, and Matt Johnson's lyrics are laced with tension. Thematically, he plunges a lance into the exposed midsection of Great Britain, analyzing the state of modern urban life in the country. "This is the land where nothing changes," Johnson sings on the World Party-ish "Heartland." "A land of red buses and blue bloody babies/This is the place where the hearts are being cut from the welfare state." "Angels of Deception" matches rain-slicked verses to a powerful chorus flavored with gospel backup singers and enormous reverb percussion. With production tricks like this, Infected aligns itself with the dance-pop sound of its predecessor (and the prevailing sound of British pop music at the time). But there's no denying the record's acerbic lyricism or dark-toned instrumentation.

Like Steely Dan, The The wasn't so much a band as a personal musical conceit/alter ego, this one for English writer-performer Matt Johnson. While Johnson's "band" came of age during the English synth pop boom of the early ‘80s, electricity was about the only common denominator between Johnson and his fashion slave contemporaries. Indeed, the sense of conscientious outrage that informs many of the two decades worth of singles collected here fostered a perception of Johnson as something of a prickly malcontent. But fashion was never an end in itself for Johnson, even on early pop fare like "Uncertain Smile" and "Perfect." Johnson's restless creative bent has led him to remix many of these tracks anew, ensuring that this set would never be seen as mere artistic obituary. Johnson's reputation as a socio-political crank reached its zenith on tracks like "Heartland" (which decries the reverse cultural colonization of Britain by America) and "Armageddon Days" (a shotgun blast at pan-religious hypocrisy, here introduced by a hilarious parody of the Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz": "Are you ready Jesus? Yeah! / Budda? Uh-huh."), but subsequent history has only proven him sagacious.

After 20 years of absence The The celebrated their comeback with a glorious UK and US Tour in 2018, topped by a sold-out performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the so called 'Comeback Special'. What started as an unforgettable live experience now turns into something even bigger as The The announce their new live album and make the whole comeback experience available to fans worldwide.

The The is an English musical and multimedia group with singer/songwriter Matt Johnson being the only constant band member. The group has no permanent group line-up, and Johnson has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, changing personnel from project to project…

Limited Edition Box Set featuring Four Remastered and Repackaged Albums: "Soul Mining", "Mind Bomb", "Infected" and "Dusk". Also Included is a Bonus CD with a 15 Minute Documentary "The The: In Conversation with Johnny Marr", as Well as the Soundtrack to the Film "in the Am" and the "Pillar Box Red" Video.

Matt Johnson’s near-mythical 1979 tape is finally available on CD, newly expanded with six extra tracks to reveal the scuzzy experimental roots of a soon-to-be lauded songwriter recording at home in the cellar of his parent’s pub, with fizzingly inventive results that surely recall early efforts by Robert Rental, Dome, John Bender.