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All Music Guide Review:
Review by Stewart Mason
Part two of a two-part CD single (a popular dodge in Great Britain in the '90s, forcing up sales positions by tempting completists into buying two copies of the same single for the different B-sides), "Masquerade" features a catchy burbling electronic melody and bouncy reggae-like bassline that don't really fit with Mark E. Smith's usual ranting vocals. The lo-fi "Calendar," which sounds like it was recorded on a $20 boombox, is even more hooky, but the catchy guitar pop tune meshes better with Smith's slurring vocals. Drummer Karl Burns plays his arms off, as well. "Scareball" features a nifty chicken-scratch guitar part and diffident vocals courtesy of Julia Nagle. However, as on part one of the single, the last track is a wash; "Ol' Gang" sounds like it was about half-written, and goes on about twice as long as it should, although it does have a cool noise guitar solo. This is one of those rare occasions where the second part of a two-part single is actually preferable to the first.
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