The Door and the Window, Detailed Twang (side A)

On 1980's Detailed Twang, The Door and the Window display an obvious passion for their work and a real love of music, to an extent that seems almost overwhelming in retrospect.  Their lyrics, both on original songs and their stripped-down cover of Television Personalities' "Part Time Punks", reflect their expectations that artists and fans make a strong commitment to their music and values.  Unlike overtly political bands like Crass, these songs focus entirely on their own artistic community — the intention seems to be community-building and reinforcement, rather than a didactic assault, but it's nonetheless a fairly extreme approach.  The music itself relies heavily on austere primitivism, but well-crafted songs and surprisingly competent performances manage to shine through, in part thanks to a recording style that successfully balances clarity with simplicity.  The Door and the Window exploit a broad range of sonic elements, ranging from the abrasive Wasp synthesizer that was already associated with Whitehouse, to toy pianos and saxophones, with bits of electric guitars and rock drums thrown in too.  The song structures utilize verses and choruses, and they generally fall well within the rock idiom.  Mark Perry from Sniffin' Glue and Alternative TV, who shares much of the group's aesthetic vision, helps out on drums, saxophone, and more.  The cover collage, with appropriated text about music alongside staff notation, fits the album's concept perfectly, as does the hand-lettered declaration "Do Not Pay More Than £3.00" in the lower-left corner.