With little fanfare, Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite) and Tony James (Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik) have been recording and releasing material as Carbon/Silicon freely to the internet for the past couple years, often times as soon as the album, ep, or single was completed. I first got hip to Carbon/Silicon earlier this year, and quickly submerged myself in two albums (Western Front and ATOM 2.0, both now out of circulation) and later the extended EP, The Crackup Suite. These early releases were about more than music and messages. They were a way for Jones and James to embrace technology and interact directly with their fans.

Admittedly, I was a bit surprised when I heard that Carbon/Silicon would also be releasing a proper album, The Last Post. For the band, however, they don’t see any conflict between the new and old models. On a message on their website they state, “We will continue to write, record and release new songs for free through our website as well as “conventional” media like CDs out in the real world…We believe the 2 worlds will co-exist happily and Art will prosper…We will continue to follow our beliefs… Who knows what the future holds for us?… and if there is a revolution going on – we’re in.”

Although the physical release caught me off guard, I have to admit now that I’ve been able to spend some time with it, I’m all the more impressed with their work. The Last Post offers a much different listening experience than Western Front or ATOM 2.0, the two albums from which many of the tracks of the Last Post originated. While the early releases worked on excitement and interaction, the proper album is a fully realized product that has been remixed and mastered with guitars as sharp as Jones’ barbs directed at consumer culture, war, and terror.

MP3:Carbon Silicon – What the F*ck

Carbon Silicon
Carbon Silicon Myspace

Extras:
Quick Time Album Stream
Carbon Silicon You Tube Page with Live Rehearsal Footage
The Crackup Suite (Free online EP)