Album of the Day

According to an election campaign, the 1980s represented “morning in America,” but to judge from MORE FUN IN THE NEW WORLD, X wasn't buying it. The band's final collaboration with producer (and former Doors keyboardist) Ray Manzarek, the Elektra collection deflates the hollowed-out optimism of the era on such cuts as “The New World” and “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts,” though John Doe and Exene Cervenka's sharp lyrics go way beyond politics here. The sound can't be pigeonholed, either – along with punk, the set offers nods to new wave, funk, blues and rockabilly (as on the set's sole cover, “Breathless”), and the quartet are firing on all cylinders throughout. Released 35 years ago, MORE FUN IN THE NEW WORLD still makes the music go bang.