Vänsternäven
Välkommen hit
Välkommen hit
(Spotify) so far
2013
2013
Review made from listening to Spotify
Let´s face
it, punk is so much better if it is ridiculous angry. Gatans Lag´s total angry
eruptions against everything and everyone makes them one of the best bands in
Sweden today. Another is the ultra leftist band from the rural part of Sweden
the Province Västergötland, the land of the old Vikings. There most
similarities between the two brilliant bands ends.
Vänsternäven (Left fist) is very angry about everything today, but with difference. Where Gatans Lag go for the drunken brawl in general, Vänsternäven wave a red banner first, after being slaving in the factory for hours(?), just before they go for a good fisticuff party or something. At least in their lyrics. OK, you have to filter some of it. I seriously don´t think they wanna do all the violence they sing about.
Why do I say so? Because I knew the people
from my old hoods, I can spot some as a member in Vänsternäven. I can spot the
irony and the local jokes in some of it. I met people like “King of Störd”
(King of Disturbed) at parties back in the days and I really can see the nude old
gentleman “Naken Moderat” (The Naked Conservative) before me, both just
excellent songs in different ways.
The lead singing have gone from shouting to singing since the last album. Normally I don´t like such a move in directions but here it is a brilliant move. And the huge chorus that sometimes was a bit tone deaf on the “Vänsternäven” (2012) album have been trained to perfection on this production, well almost at least. The chorus gives the songs the extra power to be real good punk and brings an Oi! feeling to it.
The lead singing have gone from shouting to singing since the last album. Normally I don´t like such a move in directions but here it is a brilliant move. And the huge chorus that sometimes was a bit tone deaf on the “Vänsternäven” (2012) album have been trained to perfection on this production, well almost at least. The chorus gives the songs the extra power to be real good punk and brings an Oi! feeling to it.
It has been
some criticism about their goofy hillbilly commie image from some parts of the
big city. I can understand it because it´s very local kind of irony in it many
ways that the Stockholmers don´t get or appreciate. Not to mention that they
sing in a very heavy hillbilly kind of Swedish dialect that most of us from
that part of the country feel a bit embarrassed about and tries to hide (it´s
one of the Viking dialects but will put you low on a trendy list). But on the
record I find it cool. It´s full of pride.
On their covers they have Chinese communist inspired pictures, both on their debut full length “Vänsternäven” as well on this new “Välkommen hit”. In my opinion that is pretty much all the Communism that is. Or at least it´s not an intellectual leftism that is presented, more a drunken chant of a frustrated worker. In reality the lyrics is pretty much a from a working class gutter perspective that pours over in an angry frustration over the fact that life is unfair like in “Knegare” (Worker). It´s about hating a pestering neighbor (Grannjävel/The Fucking Neighbor) and that they wanna turn the back on people that change opinions like other change shirts (Kameleont/Chameleon). Pretty much common people´s anger.
Well if you´re are a conservative or liberal, in short, bourgeois scum, (to use Vänsternävens way to put it) you might not like the message the send in the one minutes songs. And of course they give an extra boot to the racist Sweden Democrat party. But the rest of us might feel it’s a bit of truth told as well as some drunk goofing around in it in general just because that is what the seem to be ramble about while having a beer or 200. How many punk bands do songs about failed Water Parks like they do in “En meter Kört”?
On their covers they have Chinese communist inspired pictures, both on their debut full length “Vänsternäven” as well on this new “Välkommen hit”. In my opinion that is pretty much all the Communism that is. Or at least it´s not an intellectual leftism that is presented, more a drunken chant of a frustrated worker. In reality the lyrics is pretty much a from a working class gutter perspective that pours over in an angry frustration over the fact that life is unfair like in “Knegare” (Worker). It´s about hating a pestering neighbor (Grannjävel/The Fucking Neighbor) and that they wanna turn the back on people that change opinions like other change shirts (Kameleont/Chameleon). Pretty much common people´s anger.
Well if you´re are a conservative or liberal, in short, bourgeois scum, (to use Vänsternävens way to put it) you might not like the message the send in the one minutes songs. And of course they give an extra boot to the racist Sweden Democrat party. But the rest of us might feel it’s a bit of truth told as well as some drunk goofing around in it in general just because that is what the seem to be ramble about while having a beer or 200. How many punk bands do songs about failed Water Parks like they do in “En meter Kört”?
“Molotov” and “Bränn ner Kungahuset” (Burn down the Royal Family) is a bit more problematic to feel sympathy for because of the ultra violence it proclaims (yes, me, the soldiers son doesn´t like killings). But I put it on the Irony account, the not to be taken to serious account. Just as I know that Ligisterna won´t be killing the vultures as the sing about. This record should be treated like a Ligisterna record from the countryside.
And there is a Stockholm reference on this record, “75” is a brilliant rewritten cover on “Grisen Skriker´s” ” (Sthlm band) 1979 tune “65”. It´s up to date and political in a way most of the Swedes can agree on.
My only negative feeling against this record is that many of the songs been around for a while so it doesn’t feel like a new record.
But that is just a bit of spoiled whining.
In fact I rank this record very high, possibly the best this year so far, in competition with Asta Kask, Alonzo Fas 3 and Gatans Lag.
Note that Asta Kask, Vänsternäven and Gatans Lag are from the same Province.
This is a must buy, if you ask me.
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