Housewives

***HOUSEWIVES are: Industrious music for industrious people. A few years ago, London, England’s Housewives, in the finest of post-punk traditions, began making an intensely focused racket. Their debut took the form of a five-song limited-edition cassette put out by Faux Discx. This self-titled EP had a startling power and hypnotic force that is all too rare in this era of practiced disaffection. Instead of pretending to be bored by this evershifting world, Housewives' approach revealed a microscopic attention to detail. Despite their using the traditional instruments of rock n’ roll, Housewives invert these powerful totems to their own ends. This is music that earns its praise from such high priests of refusal as Charles Hayward (This Heat, Camberwell Now). Like an Adam Curtis documentary, Housewives' music that takes on social constructs, looking for a way to disassemble these ridiculous structures. Delivered at a volume-enhancing 45 rpms, Housewives’ 12” EP is a diamond-hard gem of post-punk.