Lacking the fascinating flaws of Photographs as Memories, the anti-pop of Rust Red September, and the unpolluted minimalism of the band's post-reformation releases,
Eyeless in Gaza's Caught in Flux was a frustratingly isolationist transition piece. The fractured funk of Peter Becker's basslines and
Martyn Bates' garroted
Pere Ubu vocals combined with a refreshingly underproduced sheet of electronics in unquestionably interesting ways, but the end effect felt more exploratory than experimental. Recalling the best bits of the band's debut, only "Every Which Way" retained its impact over time, a haunting art rock funeral hymn that sounded like
Alphaville's "Forever Young" watching its leg melt off. ~ Dean Carlson