Mark Stewart & Maffia - Learning To Cope With Cowardice

The Pop Group split in 1981, with Stewart and two other members heading off to London to hook up with the emerging On-U Sound "conspiracy of outsiders" as part of the New Age Steppers.

On-U became a focal point of a diverse set of networks - punks, reggae players from both the UK and Jamaica and free-jazzers. Mark Stewarts first post-Pop Group release was as 'Mouth 2', the 1982 single "Who's Hot". Two releases followed with On-U associates under the name 'Mark Stewart & The Maffia' - the "Jerusalem EP" in 1982, and the 1983 album "Learning to Cope with Cowardice".

While "Learning to Cope with Cowardice" was no less confrontational than some of the Pop Group's work, it left behind the harsh, frenetic avant-funk of the Bristol band to foray into more experimental, dub-oriented territory. The standout track is the cut-up version of "Jerusalem," the English hymn (using William Blake's visionary words) that has come to stand almost as an unofficial national anthem. Stewart's "Jerusalem" embodies the multiple sonic facets of this album, juxtaposing jarring electronics, hectoring vocals, and heavy beats with more expansive layers of melody. Here, Stewart mixes his own strident declamation of Blake's verses with samples of a traditional arrangement of the hymn and with echo-heavy dub textures in such a way as to craft a complex meditation on issues of race, class, and tradition in Thatcher-ite Britain.

Mark Stewart & Maffia - Learning To Cope With Cowardice

(192 kbps, cover art included)