Laibach

Available from Mute Records, 429 Harrow Road, London W10 4RE, England.

YOU may be forgiven for thinking that this long-awaited single from the uniformed quartet's 'WAT' album is taken straight from Laibach's mid-80s heyday. Not so. The crunching dance beat is an electronic broglia of stomping boots and subconscious brainfeed, and whilst the perpetual chorus - 'Ein, zwei, drei, fier' - seems a trifle repetitive and simplistic, its anthemic longevity acts like a red wine stain on a white sheepskin rug: your mind forever branded with the subliminel Laibach cog. The lyrics are designed to express German-American friendship, but they are obviously very light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek in a more sarcastic and philosophical way. And all the major political themes are there, too: Totalitarianism, Democracy, Fascism and Anarchy. It may be the same old routine, but that's what so good about it. It succeeds because it's a winning formula. And finally, if you're thinking of buying the new album, this single will act as a fine aperitif.