text.

okay so we're back. hi.


I'm probably going to catch shit for this, but Refused is at this point the Beatles of anarcho-punk rock. They spent their time in the trenches, playing along genre lines, surpassing expectations in that regard (see 'fanning the flames of discontent'), then they go and take a giant leap forward in terms in technical prowess and sheer visceral inspiration. And, in ultimate anarchistic style, break up at the peak of their influence. No need to kill your idols if they take themselves out of the picture, right? Plus, um, they had those matching black clothes... okay, enough of the Beatle analogy. Point is, Refused cast a long shadow. To this day 'The Shape of Punk to Come' still strikes me as one of the most optimistic albums; at the time it aroused in me desires and emotions I didn't know I had. Especially, 'tanhauser/derive'. Somewhere in my skull, that scream is still echoing:
alive... living... aannnddd ssseeeaaarrrccchhhiiinnnggg!!!!!!!!!!
but i digress.
So then Refused break up, and Dennis goes to the International Noise Conspiracy, and the others, well, hmm... all the legends seemed to point to a less-than-amiable breakup; even the liner notes indicate this to a degree. A falling-out over politics? Perhaps. But Dennis is still into it, right? I mean, with that whole retro-1968 thing he's got going with the T(I)NC...
'kay, I never much enjoyed that band. It seems like they were trying to fly under the radar of mainstream culture: they had the whole 'retro' thing (although it's the wrong decade for hipster appeal), the faux-ironic politics ('capitalism stole my virginity?!' c'mon!)... it just wasn't gelling for me. The band is like a Marxist trying to 'mingle' with hipsters, slipping them pamphlets while sipping on an (ironic) martini. The liner notes though? Still awesome. I believe their hearts are still in it, but I question the efficacy of the way they go about communicating their beliefs. I guess this isn't really a political criticism, just a personal one. There's no accounting for taste. Bottom line is, keep my music earnest, dammit!
but i digress....
Here's the real point of this post. The rest of the band went and formed TEXT. Or rather, the rest of band participated in TEXT, because it appears to be a loose collective of various artists and musicians. TEXT is... very strange music. The whole album is available for download with the blessing of its authors, so download away... after working up the patience to listen to the thing the whole way through, I guess you can call this... Swedish dub?! Yeah, and did I mention it's another long step forward for musical progression?!
The first track is people shouting in latin.
The second track I initially wrote off as some kind of attempt at pop, but it's got a heavy dub bassline and quickly morphs into something different. Anyone who noted the 'broken radio' feel to 'the Shape of Punk...' will recognize a similar meandering quality to this album, as musical elements fade in and out. It's as if the band is rethinking the dimensions of this thing we call a song.
The 'Collages Desertes' trilogy is an epic electronic dub song coupled with narration about torture. Similar themes to Foucault's Discipline and Punish. There are great musical moments in it, and then some moments that only bring to mind an A&E special on acid. The first part of the trilogy is my favourite. Still, you might listen to them all to hear the narration all the way through. Interesting, but grisly and definitely a bad acid trip.
Two standouts for me: 'We have Explosives! Shmexplosives?' sounds like a sketch of a kickin' Refused song. No lyrics, but all the musical elements are there. Finally, there's 'The Huntsville Treaty.' Phew. This song is a headbanging electronic song, taking the inspired production of Refused and just running with it. When the singer starts screaming 'My language is Dead!!!' it sounds like joy, and maybe... a theme perhaps?! The song shifts gears into jazz territory and comes to gentle landing, just in time to finish the aforementioned trilogy. If you are going to download only one song, this is the one.
Is TEXT a political band? Well, I don't know if it matters, (isn't every band political?) but the chorus to the second song is this:
Black is the light that shines in my path, Black is the colour of Freedom.
Good enough for me. So let's revise the popular perception of what happened to Refused: Dennis goes on to front a band whose purpose is the infection of popular culture with subversive political discourse. The rest of the band retreats to labour away in seclusion, intent on 'killing' the language of music. One band intends to carry a destructive payload in a catchy and innocuous vessel. The other intends to create a vessel that is in itself destructive. Both are political paths, both are legitimate. But which is more inspiring?

And hey! Since I'm acting like the friggin' "Scene Police", why don't we make this Shit-talkin' Week! Where we talk shit about the subculture's most visible personalities! We'll talk about Mack Evasion's movie deal*, we'll paw through Naomi Klein's garbage, Rimbaud faked his own death, sold out and changed his name to Ezra Pound, Ian MacKaye smokes pot and smells like patchouli, um... Rob at LoveEcstasyCrime has a story that involves the International Noise Conspiracy... but that's his to tell if he feels like it. :)
Shit-Talkin' Week. We'll decorate this place to look like Entertainment Tonight, maybe hang some dirty diapers from clotheslines and gain twenty pounds and wear magenta lipstick with a ugly-ass brooch.

*this is true!