Love them or loathe them, there's no getting away from the fact that Asian Dub Foundation are one of the very few bands today willing to address political issues in their music. And while their relentless sloganeering can sometimes make them sound hectoring and humourless, their sense of idealism is something that can only be admired in today's cynical music industry. Enemy of the Enemy is a pulsating tirade against Blair's Britain, depicting a bleak landscape of desperate asylum seekers, domestic violence and prison riots. Musically it's excellent, an exciting blend of garage beats, layered Indian samples and heavy guitar rock. Unfortunately the band seriously let themselves down with some pretty awful rapping, undoing much of the previous good work with their boorish, self-righteous delivery. Sinead O'Connor pops up on a song about the miserable lives of many Asian women, but her beautifully moving performance only serves to highlight the inadequacy of the vocals elsewhere. Asian Dub Foundation are certainly not short of commitment - but they need to adopt a more subtle approach if they're ever to break out of their own musical ghetto.
