Fully 36 years on from their debut album,
the Buzzcocks are still one of the best and most enduring acts in British punk, and founding members
Steve Shelley and
Steve Diggle have gone into the studio with their current rhythm section, bassist Chris Remington and drummer Danny Farrant, and returned with a new studio album, 2014's
The Way. Featuring ten new songs -- five from
Shelley, five from
Diggle --
The Way sound thoroughly professional and commendably tight, still delivering their trademark speedy pop sound on numbers like "Keep on Believing" and "Chasing Rainbows/Modern Times," while offering a more contemplative approach on "Virtually Real" and "Saving Yourself." On
The Way,
the Buzzcocks show they haven't lost the old touch at the same time as they bring some new tricks to their trademark ripsaw punk attack. ~ Mark Deming