Post-punk pioneers Gang of Four have detailed their new studio album. The record is titled Content and it's due out October 4, 2010; once out, it'll be the band's first studio album since 1995's Shrinkwrapped, though they've released singles as well as the 2005 compilation Return the Gift in the interim. The band is taking a unique approach to the release of the album, utilizing Pledge Music to raise money for distribution, as well as for charities like Amnesty International and Plan International. Guitarist Andy Gill explained the band's decision to take such a route: "Making an album, you focus on the creative process, on exactly what you want to do and how to get there. Jon and I have been working on this new material for three years. It’s only as we came close to the end of the process that we began to think in practical terms, about how to make our music available. The traditional route, via the majors, doesn’t make sense any more. In fact, the whole architecture of the music industry doesn’t make sense any more. Record companies are taking more than ever before from artists and giving less than ever before to the people who want to listen to their music. We decided to work with Pledge Music as a direct and innovative way to get our music out there. Towards the end of the summer, the album will be released and sold in record shops and as a download, but Pledge Music makes it possible for Gang of Four aficionados to get involved ahead of the release and to get a deeper insight into the making of the album and our ongoing work, through special pages on the site with daily updates of videos, gigs, conversations, demos, rough mixes, previously unreleased songs from the archives, and also words and photos."
