This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Few bands have as varied and sparse a resume as this Leeds outfit.
They started off a punk band in the late ’70s; then they were soulful new wavers in the ’80s; then nothing. Now, 11 years after their last disc, SP return for the ’90s as — Michael Jackson? No, seriously; the sweet studio soul of these tracks and the syrupy swirl of Green Gartside’s boyish voice suggest leftovers from The Gloved One circa 1984, with a bit of Culture Club and Simply Red thrown in for good measure. Contributions from the likes of Mos Def and rapper Lee Major — along with one rocking power-pop track — nearly drag this disc into the ’90s on occasion. But the rest of the time, Anomie & Bonhomie is, well, kinda Bad — in the Jackson sense, and in the real sense.
