1. The Allotment (Land & Liberty)
2. What's So Funny 'Bout Pills, Love And Hardcore Raving?
3. Yin & Yang
4. Tarmac Mirage
5. Unity Is Strength
6. In Your Hands
7. The Key
8. All Together Now
9. Speak Up
10. Satisfaction
11. Work It Out
12. Sowing Life All Around

By this point in 2007, I kind of feel like this is where Rude Corps was hitting its peak. This was me getting as close as I ever did to having an "imperial phase". My sound and style had matured, I now had some decent monitors so my mixes were more consistent and intentional. My vocals were cleaner and I had found a style where I was comfortable. I was still learning a lot and experimenting with different musical ideas and expanding my capabilities. I had an uncharacteristic confidence in what I was doing, so that I felt I could at least attempt anything without being discouraged by the prospect of failure. For someone who has been a lifelong pessimist, the evident optimism that went into this album in particular is really striking.

Utopian is defintely top-three Rude Corps, for me. It's not without its flaws: "The Key" has string bits which are maybe just too weird and awkward, and the clean soundfont guitars on "All Together Now" are still pretty cringe, though the distorted parts are ok. I still didn't have a real guitar at this point - I think I first acquired one shortly after completing this album - so that's something which would be an ongoing development. On the other hand, the rest of the album is really solid and there's a lot of gems on there: "Tarmac Mirage", "Speak Up", "Sowing Life All Around"... hell, "The Allotment" is one of my all-time favourite tracks I've written. I really like the flow and structure and vibe of the album as a whole too. And the artwork. I took all the photos on Tunstall Hill, by the electricity sub-station thing. I loved the symbolism of the weeds thriving amongst and against the concrete and decaying brick walls.

I'm not entirely clear about the mix history of this album. According to the old Rude Corps website it was written May-Sept 2007, but it doesn't seem to have been released / uploaded until 29th November 2007. All of the song files have dates from November 2008, so presumably there was a re-mix done then. There's also the possibility of two tracks having some tweaks done in 2010 and 2012. Certainly there was a "final" mix done as recently as January 2021 in preparation to upload the whole album onto Youtube. That's the mix I'll be making available.

Too often, political radicals are defined more by what they are against than what they are for: anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-racist, anti-militarist, etc. In contrast, this album was inspired by the more positive aspects of revolutionary ideas: those beautiful ideals of liberty, equality, solidarity, justice, peace, democracy. It's all too easy to become twisted and embittered by the anger, fear, cynicism, paranoia and despair that tend to accompany political consciousness. Yet, as Che Guevara once commented, revolutionaries should be motivated by love rather than hate. This album is intended as a reminder of that and of what we fight for.

"Sow life around you.... Struggle so that all may live this rich, overflowing life. And be sure that in this struggle you will find a joy greater than anything else can give." - Peter Kropotkin, "Anarchist Morality"

So what do I want? I want a world where land and public utilities are collectively owned and managed. I want a complete redistribution of wealth so that no-one need be hungry or homeless. I want political decisions to be made directly by the people who will be affected by them. I want to be able to move freely across the Earth's surface without hindrances. I want an educational system which promotes creativity and critical thinking. I want everyone to have an active role in developing our culture. I want to unite public and private interests. I want a clean and healthy environment. I want peace. I want women to have the same rights as men. I want a world where differences are tolerated and not feared. I want public debate to be moved by reason rather than superstition. I want a world where everyone can stand up straight and look each other in the eye as equals. Viva la revolucion!