Pop, politics and the past: From Three Day Week to Taylor Swift
(WorldNews Music)

What does a nation in crisis sound like? It´s a pertinent question for our uncertain times, which has of late been occupying Bob Stanley. For Stanley, an author and member of electro-pop group Saint Etienne, it´s not political speeches or protest chants, but rather the popular music produced in times of difficulty. Either way, he found his answer in his homeland of Britain. Though wracked by political instability, haunted by supply shortages, vexed by the Northern Ireland border and deeply divided on Europe, it´s a Britain that also boasts a vibrant pop culture making vital music, which Stanley and his bandmate Pete Wiggs have compiled on a fascinating new album. By turns resigned, defiant...