Swedish noise-rockers Traktor also understood that, hence the name of their new album. They decided to take matters into their own hands and release this album on their own label. Furthermore, they organised a crowdfunding campaign for the vinyl edition. In their own words: "The idea is to sell our lovechild as a digital download at the very reasonable price of €8 at first and then, when and if, the record is released on vinyl give our digital customers who feel the urge to have it on their shelves an offer to get it for only the shipping cost, or for free when picked up at one of the locations chosen by us."
Yeah yeah, that all sounds very nice and reasonable but how does it sound?
Well, for starters, it sounds pretty intense and blasts through my speakers with loads of energy. Although I intentionally described this album as noise-rock, there is a lot more to it. In fact, you might see this as hardcore ('W.T.R.R.') induced indie rock, borrowing elements from both genres as well as noise rock ('Senter') and punk ('The Cause of and Cure). Yet, most of all, it sounds like a bunch of friends having loads of fun by rocking hard.
The album is recorded in an abandoned school outside of Stockholm. That also seems to add a lot of credibility to their do-it-yourself approach, which obviously derives from their post-hardcore past. For me, it's hard to compare it to other bands. Perhaps I can mention Sonic Youth or Unsane, maybe a bit of And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, the drums of Foo Fighters with the vocals of Anthrax and the heaviness of Melvins. I don't know, you figure it out.
All I know is that, regardless of classification, this is a highly energetic and dynamic piece of rock music which certainly deserves your attention. For now, I am going to add this to my recommendations-list for the upcoming edition of the Dutch Incubate festival. Traktor would fit in perfectly. I'm quite sure that they can come up with an intense live set and convince an entire audience.
Serge