Since its release, many bands have attempted to make another 'Shape Of Punk To Come'. One by one, they have all failed. It's a trap that Refused have opted to avoid in the simplest manner available to them: they haven't bothered trying.
'Freedom' reflects almost 20 years of new influences, warmer melodic tendencies and improved relationships. It is a record that thumbs its nose at the grand myth of Refused’s split, which followed the release of their masterpiece in notoriously short order. Depending on which corner of the internet you stumble into, its existence is either a grievous wrong or merely a betrayal of the ethos that made their bitter exit from the world such a draw.
Shorn of that impossibly restrictive context, though, there’s much to admire here. ’Freedom’ draws on Dennis Lyxzén’s free-spirited live persona and displays flecks of The (International) Noise Conspiracy’s punk ‘n’ roll, while Kristofer Steen is largely in restrained mood, his guitar lines tending towards thick, rhythmic riffs rather than the brutish time signature destruction of old.
It remains ambitious, but Refused’s goals have been revised. They are drawing from a fresh palette of sounds, many of which will send devotees reaching for the skip button.
There’s the divisive funk of Françafrique and Old Friends/New War, which is punctuated by a mournful chorus and undulating acoustic guitars. War On The Palaces, meanwhile, bounds into the world on the back of a bold horn riff and a bucketload of MC5 swagger.
Given they’re intelligent people, Refused must have been smirking in anticipation of the shitstorm to come while reviewing the mixes. ‘Freedom’ is unashamedly, pointedly different to what’s come before, but it’s delivered with such poise and controlled aggression that large swathes of it work very well. Elektra, the opening song and first to be unveiled from the album a short while back, appears as Refused-lite when in context. It’s a gravestone for an album that could have been. But, by jettisoning expectations elsewhere, Refused have not only survived, but prospered.
Some of the fury of old lives on in Lyxzén’s words, with colonialism, religious dogma and European ignorance all straying into his crosshairs. As they always have been, Refused are committed to pulling apart the insular, self-serving idea of safety the vast majority of us are keen to accept. Only moments into the record, Lyxzén tells us: “Nothing has changed.”
In that sense, he’s right. But Refused themselves have changed. They are not the same band they were two decades ago, and that’s a good thing. A cloying nostalgia trip would have represented the antithesis of what made them great in the first place and would have vindicated the online hand-wringing. ‘Freedom’ is a vision of the here and now that will make friends and enemies in equal measure.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
.jpg)
.jpg)
