Saturday, July 11, 2009

The Refused and their Aftermath

Refused - New Noise


How can we expect anyone to listen
If we're using the same old voice?
We need new noise
New art for the real people

(the song was also covered to my amusement by Anthrax, no less)
From the overoptimistically titled album "The Shape of Punk to Come", their last in 1998, a hardcore punk classic from IMHO one of the few living punk bands in the 90s (which unfortunately I discovered something like 8 years later) AND one of the few meaningfully political bands of any genre at the time. The Refused (a Swedish band) dissolved and their lead singer Dennis Lyxzén inspired with Lars Strömberg by Phil Ochs' comment that the perfect rock band would be a "combination of Elvis and Che Guevara", went on to create the International Noise Conspiracy which is agit-prop for the dancefloor, on a level not seen the days of the Gang of Four.

And I do mean agit-prop (or, errr, agit-pop?). Take for example "Communist Moon"



Or "Smash it Up":



or, even better, "Capitalism Stole My Virginity":

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