ALIENATED LP/CD
RAZORCAKE - Desperation, boredom, mental instability, and feeling completely out of place has rarely sounded this good. Soaked in reverb, but sharp and as in focus as razor wire that seems to be hovering over their heads at all times, Alienated sounds like battle call for misfits. You can snap your fingers along, but as soon as your ears lock into the lyrics, it’s a dark, dark place. Like a lot that’s coming out of Umea, Sweden nowadays, via the NyVag encampment of bands, they seem to continue to up the ante with their older or currently running bands—DS 13, Regulations, (International) Noise Conspiracy—simultaneously finding more and more melody and hidden structure from overlooked gems of ’77 while being able to tap into an anxious, emerging modern vein of punk rock. The Vicious nail an important paradox: we can have a shared experience from all being rejects. We may be almost all alone and fucked up in this world, but bands like these—that your neighbors will probably never hear of—may just be making the best music out there, even if it often times feels like it’s in a vacuum, or a world away. Alienated’s a great record. –Todd Taylor (Feral Ward)
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The latest musical care package from Umeå, Sweden has arrived! Everybody in the village gathers around the package, eagerly pawing at it in ineffectual attempts to consume its contents. All they can think about is how happy previous care packages have made them. This village has been disappointed before, but they still trust the people of Umeå because of all the cultural riches the people of Umeå have shared in the past. Finally, the crowd settles down from the initial excitement and someone puts the needle down onto the record. “Punk!” someone yells. “Punk rock!” another chimes in. “Late ‘70s punk rock!” the whole crowd cheers uncontrollably, for it is true. Later, after the village has fully absorbed the package, they are not surprised when they discover the ones who created this package have helped create care packages of yesteryear, such as the Regulations, International Noise Conspiracy, and DS-13. The people of the village slept well that night; the people of Umeå have once again lent a helping hand. –Daryl Gussin (Feral Ward)