REGULATIONS: REGULATIONS (REVIEW)
November 25th 2006 00:00
REGULATIONS
REGULATIONS
(2005; MISSING LINK)
RATING:
TRACK LISTING: 1) Anna’s Eyes / 2) In 1945 / 3) My Life My Problems / 4) End It Now / 5) I Feel Sick / 6) I Don’t Need / 7) Police Siren / 8) Sex With Jesus / 9) We Always Know What To Do / 10) Walking By Myself / 11) No More Hell / 12) Fashion Girl
When I told my dad I was reviewing a band from Umeå in Sweden, he said, ‘that’s were I did my military service so they must be good.’ Military service is no longer compulsory in Sweden, but even if it was, I doubt the boys in Regulations would be too happy about it. They’d be all like, ‘WE DON’T NEED NO FUCKIN’ WAR, AND WE DON’T WANNA FIGHT NO MORE’ or they’d go like, ‘WAR, I DON’T WANT YOUR WAR / WAR, WE DON’T NEED YOUR WAR'. But they wouldn’t say anything like, ‘WAR (GOOD GOD YAW) WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR, ABSOLUTELY NOTHIN’ because Regulations (2005) isn’t about the soulful Motown sounds of Edwin Starr, but the moral outrage of early hardcore.
Despite his spurious logic, my Dad was right, because while Regulations don’t offer anything new to the sound pioneered by West Coast hardcore bands like the Circle Jerks and pre-Rollins Black Flag, this is a cracking punk album and a welcome change from the nambypamby emo and toughguy metalcore we’ve had forced down our throats of late. This is the sound of hardcore in its infancy: raw, pissed-off, fast, catchy, and above all, fun. It’s a sound married to the melodicism of ‘70s punk rock like the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, and is laddish and snotty rather than being pretensious and affected, or tough and macho.
Produced by Dennis Lyxen (Refused, (International) Noise Conspiracy) this full-length debut by Regulations shows that hardcore can still be rousing and melodic without selling out. The sound here is dark and raw like early TSOL, and Lyxén gives the band the kind of no-bullshit, basement-quality production that best suits this style. It highlights Mattias Ottosson’s slurred vocals which recall Keith Morris, and gives a warmth to Marcus Axelsson’s reverbed guitars and the tight lower end of bassist Robet Pettersson and drummer Jens Nordén; as the band rumble through this twenty-five minutes of hooky, gutsy songs like it was 1980.
Highlights are the opener ‘Anna’s Eyes’, its opening chords reminiscent of AC/DC, and the two middle tunes which also happen to be the longest, clocking in at just over three minutes each. ‘I Don’t Need’ has a dark surfy riff worthy of the Dead Kennedys, and ‘Police Siren’ goes from a menacing build-up ala Black Flag’s ‘No More’ into a spat-out singalong with a stop-start chorus—both tunes displaying a songwriting talent worthy of their heroes. Sure it’s nostalgic, but at least it’s not another regurgitation of Led Zeppelin (here’s lookin’ at you Wolfmother).
If this sounds like your cup of wee, be sure to check ‘em out on their Australian tour.
***
LINKS
My original review can be found on the Tsunami website
IMAGES
Regulations*
(album cover used under fair dealing)
* images on this page were taken from the following Missing Link page:
Missing Link Records Label
REGULATIONS
(2005; MISSING LINK)
RATING:
TRACK LISTING: 1) Anna’s Eyes / 2) In 1945 / 3) My Life My Problems / 4) End It Now / 5) I Feel Sick / 6) I Don’t Need / 7) Police Siren / 8) Sex With Jesus / 9) We Always Know What To Do / 10) Walking By Myself / 11) No More Hell / 12) Fashion Girl
Regulations (2005)
Despite his spurious logic, my Dad was right, because while Regulations don’t offer anything new to the sound pioneered by West Coast hardcore bands like the Circle Jerks and pre-Rollins Black Flag, this is a cracking punk album and a welcome change from the nambypamby emo and toughguy metalcore we’ve had forced down our throats of late. This is the sound of hardcore in its infancy: raw, pissed-off, fast, catchy, and above all, fun. It’s a sound married to the melodicism of ‘70s punk rock like the Ramones and the Sex Pistols, and is laddish and snotty rather than being pretensious and affected, or tough and macho.
Produced by Dennis Lyxen (Refused, (International) Noise Conspiracy) this full-length debut by Regulations shows that hardcore can still be rousing and melodic without selling out. The sound here is dark and raw like early TSOL, and Lyxén gives the band the kind of no-bullshit, basement-quality production that best suits this style. It highlights Mattias Ottosson’s slurred vocals which recall Keith Morris, and gives a warmth to Marcus Axelsson’s reverbed guitars and the tight lower end of bassist Robet Pettersson and drummer Jens Nordén; as the band rumble through this twenty-five minutes of hooky, gutsy songs like it was 1980.
Highlights are the opener ‘Anna’s Eyes’, its opening chords reminiscent of AC/DC, and the two middle tunes which also happen to be the longest, clocking in at just over three minutes each. ‘I Don’t Need’ has a dark surfy riff worthy of the Dead Kennedys, and ‘Police Siren’ goes from a menacing build-up ala Black Flag’s ‘No More’ into a spat-out singalong with a stop-start chorus—both tunes displaying a songwriting talent worthy of their heroes. Sure it’s nostalgic, but at least it’s not another regurgitation of Led Zeppelin (here’s lookin’ at you Wolfmother).
If this sounds like your cup of wee, be sure to check ‘em out on their Australian tour.
***
LINKS
My original review can be found on the Tsunami website
IMAGES
Regulations*
(album cover used under fair dealing)
* images on this page were taken from the following Missing Link page:
Missing Link Records Label
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Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
You muso types make me feel woefully inadequate. I dunno if I've even heard any of the bands you refer to, except Black Flag (and can't say I like Rollins' music much; his spoken word, though -- the guy's a genius).
Do you take requests? If I suggested, "Hey, what are your thoughts on Joy Division/Luciano Pavarotti/Achy Breaky Heart?" would you consider going there?
Comment by Hellvis
Earache Hotel
Perhaps this review is laden with too many references to other punk bands, which in hindsight is something I hate when I'm not familiar with those bands myself. On the other hand, Regulations will most likely appeal to people who are familiar with these bands. I try to reach some sort of happy medium between comparison and description when writing these things. Perhaps I have failed here
I can do requests. I've actually been thinking of putting up some sort of poll or voting system for readers to have a choice in what I will talk about or review. Joy Division are one of my favourite bands so would be glad to review one of their albums, but I know next to jack about Luciano. I prefer low art to high art, but not as low as 'Achy Breaky Heart'. That song would be fun to talk about though, so who knows.
I'm happy to do a Joy Division review either this week or next if you're interested.
Comment by Adrian
Philosophy Blog
I'd be curious about a Joy Division review (do they even count as punk?) -- or, in fact, of any band that gets covered to death by every other band after them.
And if you talked about what you hate about Achy Breaky Heart, that could be fun to read as well.
Comment by Hellvis
Earache Hotel
I think a band like Joy Division who grew out of the punk scene but developed into their own sound are far more punk than a band who've just copped the safety-pin look and raw three-chord sound to follow a trend.
Will try and get a Joy Division review happening. As for 'Achy Breaky Heart' I don't know if the enjoyment people would get out of reading about it would outweigh the danger I would be inflicting upon myself and those around me by purchasing and listening to the work of Billy Ray.