Part pop, part post-punk, part poet for the disillusioned under the Thatcher regime, Matt Johnson's The The were an uncompromising collective who defied simple pigeonholing. 'Soul Mining' is perhaps Johnson's most accessible work, helped in no small part by the commercial appeal of verse-chorus songs like 'Perfect', 'This Is The Day' (aided by both accordion and flute) and 'Uncertain Smile' which - featuring a glorious piano coda - contains Jools Holland's most valuable contribution to a piece of music. Otherwise the remainder of the album ripples with menace and tension; as Johnson broods and snarls his way through diatribes of self-doubt ("How can anyone know me, when I don't even know myself") and thinly-veiled attacks on the powers that be ("I'm just a symptom of the moral decay that's gnawing at the heart of the country"). As outstanding musically as it is angry, 'Soul Mining' is a landmark 80's album.