Swedish Art Rock/Hardcore Band Refused released their masterpiece album The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts in October of 1998. Just months later, the group was no more, or as members of the band, including lead singer and now front man of the (International) Noise Conspiracy Dennis Lyxzé, would have said “Refused are Fucking Dead”. The album title, which is a spinoff of Ornette Coleman’s 1959 avant-garde jazz release The Shape of Jazz to Come (Coleman himself borrowed the title from a book by H.G. Wells) never truly came to be released. In the years following the release of this epic album, the “punk scene” seemed to quickly become overrun with corporate pop punk bands, rather than the revolutionary, anti-corporate, expressive, free-jazz/techno infused aggressive and intense sounds of Refused.
Despite the unfortunate fact that Refused’s prediction for independent music was never truly realized, this is still one of the influencial most hardcore albums to have ever been released. Every track on this album is a gem as the band incorporated the greatest of what 1990s hardcore had to offer and merged it with the innovative techniques of electronic music and the sobriety of folk. Each track is filled with a anarchistic spirit holds back at the right moments, rips open at the right moments, and grips the listener to each coming surprise, innovative turn and revolutionary yelp by Lyxzé (my personal favorite lyric being: “We could be dangerous, art as a real threat” off of the perfectly passionate, techno undertoned, melodic and aggressively earnest “Protest Song ’68”). Despite the albums genius, these tracks are of a band whose innovation became a double edged sword as the new directions in their sound were not immediately well received, and the fervor with which they played and recorded took a toll on the chemistry within the band. All of this created an album that grew to be legendary, but at the time was a central figure in the group’s far too early demise.
Regardless, all things aside, the album is a cry against complacency, both within music and our ideologies. The band moved in revolutionary new directions with this album, directions that may never have been truly followed, but certainly are awe-inspiring, jarring and certainly still relevant. Refused’s crying out against musical, ideological and intent based complacency, is most notable on the album’s single “New Noise”. On what is is perhaps the greatest hardcore track of all-time, Lyxzé’s accented shrill proclaims, “We need noise, new art for the real people, We lack the motion to move to the new beat, We dance to all the wrong songs and we enjoy all the wrong move, We are not leading”.
In so many ways those words could not be more relevant in contemporary independent music, which often lacks even a fraction of the forward thinking, radical, subversive fury that Refused displayed.
That is why, it is so ironically fitting that Epitaph Records, with their roster of pop-punk and emo bands, has reissued The Shape of Punk to Come nearly twelve years after its original release date. Although it was disappointing that the rumors of a Refused reunion seemed to be just that, merely rumors, this is a great re-release, which is well worth the wait. I recommend this album and reissue even for those that do not remember Refused in their hay day.
The label held nothing back here. This reissue is essentially a package that sums up this monumental and influential release as well as the final moments together as a band. The double vinyl includes not only the original twelve tracks from the album, but also a code for the digital download of a DVD quality audio of the album (which includes reworked tracks “Bruitist Pome #5” and “Refused are Fucking Dead”) and a previously unreleased live album recorded in Sweden in early 1998, during the final months together as a band: “Live at Umeå Open festival (April 3, 1998)”. This live album alone is worth the $16 price tag. This live set includes incredible performances of a more somber and vocally prolonged “Refused are Fucking Dead” and the gypsy like violin driven “Tannhäuser”. This last track stops with two minutes remaining to hear Lyxzé moan as if the physical body of the band was dying, only to erupt for one last premortem burst.
But that is not all, the package also includes a DVD of “Refused are Fucking Dead” the beautiful documentary about the bands final year together and their police interrupted final show. This DVD, filmed by the band’s guitarist turned filmmaker Kristofer Steen, is pretty easy to find online but it is a great throw in with this package. The DVD does not come in a full DVD case, but rather is simply slipped inside the album folder along side one of the sleeves.
The packing itself is well done, but about what you would expect. The cover of the double vinyl packing is the same as on the original release of the LP from 1998. The sleeves for the two records are each unique in their own right. One is covered front and back in intimate photos from live sets, their tour and various other black and white images. The other sleeve is covered on one side by the “manifesto” of the band that includes their revolutionary ideology, reasoning behind each track and a brief history of the band. The other half of the sleeve contains the lyrics of each track.
I would most certainly recommend this reissue for anyone fan of Refused, old or new. An album this legendary deserves to be heard in its entirety and what better way to do so than on vinyl, where each guitar, yell, or synthetic snare can be heard in detail. Besides, at a mere $16 bucks (plus shipping), you get two records of one of the greatest post/hardcore albums of all-time, an excellent downloadable live album, a download of the DVD audio version of the album, a DVD, and the original artwork from the album. At that price and with all these goodies, I would say it is great bang for your buck.
Track listing for the vinyl:
Side A:
1. “Worms of the Senses / Faculties of the Skull” – 7:05
2. “Liberation Frequency” – 4:08
3. “The Deadly Rhythm” – 3:34
Side B:
4. “Summerholidays Vs. Punkroutine” – 4:01
5. “Bruitist Pome #5” – 1:25
6. “New Noise” – 5:08
Side C:
7. “The Refused Party Program” – 2:38
8. “Protest Song ’68” – 4:32
9. “Refused Are Fucking Dead” – 5:08
Side D:
10. “The Shape of Punk to Come” – 5:06
11. “Tannhäuser / Derivè” – 8:07
12. “The Apollo Programme Was a Hoax” – 4:13
Live at Umeå Open festival (April 3, 1998)
1. “Shape Of Punk To Come” – 4:38
2. “Refused Party Program” – 1:28
3. “Circle Pit” – 2:48
4. “Worms Of The Senses / Faculties Of The Skull” – 5:31
5. “Hook, Line And Sinker” – 2:51
6. “Summer Holidays vs. Punk Routine” – 3:54
7. “Rather Be Dead” – 3:42
8. “Burn It” – 2:33
9. “The Deadly Rhythm” – 4:05
10. “Coup d’Etat” – 5:10
11. “New Noise” – 4:48
12. “Tannhäuser” – 7:30
DVD: Film – Refused are Fucking Dead
Below is the video promo where Epitaph previews the reissue.
