Freedom

by Refused, The Francafrique Children's Choir

Overview

Noted punk band breaks up in the wake of its best album, and after repeatedly insisting they'll never reunite, the bandmembers get back together to play a few high-profile shows. After calling it a day following said tour, they decide to make a new album as they learn there's good money to be made playing the festival circuit. Sound familiar? More than a few bands have followed this template, and there's no arguing Refused are one of them, but the smart Swedish punks clearly aren't going through the motions on 2015's Freedom, their first album since 1997's The Shape of Punk to Come as well as their first salvo since returning to action with a 2012 tour. Freedom is a considerably more aggressive set than The Shape of Punk to Come, recalling Refused's earlier work rather than the dizzying eclecticism of their acknowledged masterpiece, but this is still clever and challenging stuff, making abundant use of electronics to complement and texturize their post-hardcore guitar attack (and the fact Refused were able to create this monolith of six-string howling after the departure of guitarist Jon Braennstroem says a great deal for the abilities of Kristofer Steen, who handles lead and rhythm all by himself here). Calling out God and Man with equal fury, lead vocalist Dennis Lyxzen doesn't appear to have mellowed a bit in the course of 18 years, and bassist Magnus Flagge and drummer David Sandstroem are limber enough to keep the rhythms surprisingly flexible (when they're on point, they recall a slightly funky version of the Jesus Lizard's rhythm section, no small accomplishment). And while Refused sound more like a traditional punk band on Freedom than they did in 1997, these guys have no use for standard-issue 4/4 stomp; their music hits hard while they explore the rhythmic and musical possibilities of a four-man rock band, and the lyrics are as bitter, intelligent, and impassioned as ever as they howl out accusations against a world where wealth, power, and narrow-mindedness take their toll on us all. It's not hard to be a bit cynical about Refused choosing to reunite, but Freedom sounds as furiously principled as this group has ever been, and it's a liberating, hard-hitting exercise in punk for smart people. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	06/29/2015
Label:	EPITAPH
UPC:	0045778737024

Tracks

1. Elektra
2. Old Friends/New War
3. Dawkins Christ
4. Fran¿¿afrique
5. Thought Is Blood
6. War on the Palaces
7. Destroy the Man
8. 366
9. Servants of Death
10. Useless Europeans

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Refused   Primary Artist
The Francafrique Children's Choir   Primary Artist
John Christianson   Horn
David Sandstroem   Drums
Dan Regan   Horn
Atom Greenspan   Keyboards
Jennifer Goodridge   Vocals
Dennis Lyxzen   Vocals
Brian Grover   Vocals
Matt Appleton   Horn
Bianca Fonti   Children's Chorus
Elisa-Jane Pasfield   Children's Chorus
Grace Dacres-Mannings   Children's Chorus
Hamish Holman-Brown   Children's Chorus
Hugo Roles   Children's Chorus
Jack Holman-Brown   Children's Chorus
Magnus Flagge   Bass
Rasmus Lindeloew   Keyboards
Robert Columbus   Percussion
Rosie Ford   Children's Chorus
Kristofer Steen   Guitar
Per Nordmark   Tambourine

Technical Credits

Michael Ilbert   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Nick Launay   Mixing,Producer
David Sandstroem   Composer
Bjoern Yttling   Technical Assistance
Atom Greenspan   Engineer,Programming,Assistant Producer
Dennis Lyxzen   Composer
Refused   Arranger,Composer
Thomas Hedlund   Technical Assistance
Shellback   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Daniel Andersson   Design
Christoffer Berg   Sound Design
Gustav Lindeloew   Engineer
Marko Harju   Technical Assistance
Johan Ericsson Svala   Technical Assistance
Karl Schuster   Composer
Jonathon Baker   Assistant Engineer
Anton Persson   Technical Assistance
Nanni Johansson   Assistant Engineer
John Ericsson   Technical Assistance
Magnus Flagge   Composer
Osip Man   Inspiration
Robert Ahlenius   Technical Assistance
Robert Columbus   Technical Assistance
Tom Coyne   Mastering
Oskar Sandlund   Technical Assistance
Kristofer Steen   Composer
Fredrik Soederberg   Paintings
Fredrik Lyxzen   Technical Assistance
Anders Lind   Composer
Bernie Grundman   Mastering