When I was in London a few weeks ago the route my taxi took to my hotel traversed a route I’d not taken before in previous visits. This time we drove along the Thames, and across the river lit up at night I could see the Battersea power station. It’s a massive thing, known to me mainly as the image from the cover of Pink Floyd‘s Animals album.

It prompted me to listen to the album on the flight home, and again once or twice since. Even forty years on it’s still a sharp economic criticism — not of communism, as the animal/pig-themed title echoing Orwell would suggest — but of unfettered capitalism. Open Culture covered it yesterday, suggesting that rather than losing something over the years, it’s become even more relevant.

And after a while, you can work on points for style.
Like the club tie, and the firm handshake,
A certain look in the eye and an easy smile.
You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,
So that when they turn their backs on you,
You’ll get the chance to put the knife in.