Pengarna Eller Livet – Lastkaj 14/Fruktansvärld
The album starts off a bit slow with one of Lastkaj 14s more melancholy songs. It’s by no means bad, but an interesting song to have a starter, and feels like it could have belonged better on the Plan B album. The following songs follows the more classic style of the band. This album has kind of a theme when it comes to the lyrics, which can be derived from the name of the album. Capitalism, privatization, the work-conditions and stress in today’s work-environment, the surveillance society and over-consumption.
As often with Lastkaj 14 the members take turns on the vocal duties, both in and between the tracks, which makes it an dynamic listen throughout. All the songs are as well-written as we have come to expect, and there are some memorable tracks on this half, although their other album released this year might have been more consistent throughout. But damn, the output from these guys the last couple of years.
The other half of the split comes from Fruktansvärld, which is kind of new band to me, which I discovered through one of the songs on this album being released on streaming earlier this year. That track, Våran Stad, is an amazing melodic and lyrically awesome song which is catchy as hell. Fruktansvärlds half goes in the same lyrical theme as the first half and is equally well written and they display a good sense for melodies. Songs about public spending, living in a small town, consumerism and what we are leaving behind for future generations. Fruktansvärld does musically sound a little bit angrier from time to time compared to Lastkaj but doesn’t lose the melodic sense because of that.
These two bands fit perfectly together on a split and delivers great songs on both sides. I really hope that people find Fruktansvärlds side of the album on streaming services, as Spotify handles split-albums in a really split way. A great album that shows that the Swedish punk-scene is indeed alive and kicking in a major way right now. So glad that the bands can return to the roads and showcase this to a live audience. Also props to the label for sending out a compilation cd together with the order, always a nice way to find new bands. Comps where one of the ways I found a lot of bands when I started listening to punk (thanks to Burnings Hearts Cheap Shots comps).