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Cover Art Refused
The Shape Of Punk To Come
[Epitaph]
Rating: 8.7

It is a paradox ever- haunting the world of politically minded punk: the duality of words and music, a mission- defeating breach between what is communicated lyrically and musically. If these bands consider themselves vehicles of revolutionary thought, why do so many select conventional and cliched musical modes as a means of delivering this message?

With The Shape of Punk to Come, Refused attack this rhetorical beast with everything their arsenal affords them. The album flows with an all- embracing intensity-- not in any linear sense, but with a lateral ability-- capable of incorporating every piece of inspiration it unearths along the way. Sometimes this translates into subversion of a familiar sort: brash vocals, distorted guitars, and relentless drumming; yet, even in these moments, the band reaches beyond familiar stock, interrupting the accessible pattern of a song with disjointed drumming, lone guitar riffing, or a completely different shift of song altogether.

In their more intriguing moments, this once strictly hardcore band resorts to fashions completely foreign to their genre. Brief musical interludes with stylistic components as varied as electronica and jazz sinuously connect the different tracks. "Bruitist Pome #5" is a small but tantalizing slab of auxiliary percussion experimentation-- it even incorporates a vibraphone, an unprecedented move in punk history. "The Apollo Programme Was a Hoax" begins with a riff plucked on an upright bass. A classical- style guitar line provides the next layer, while flutes sing serenely in the background. Not the sort of thing one hears on a D.O.A. record, eh?

Through it all, Refused keeps its Marxist- minded message intact. A fiery intensity seethes behind virtually every line, regardless of the musical mood being created at that moment. May the bourgeoisie beware! The band's confrontational approach is not meant to suggest they're incapable of more uplifting thought, however. The back of the lyric booklet bears their evenhandedness well: "In such an ugly time the real protest is beauty."

So, is this album really a representation of "the shape of punk to come?" Are Refused visionaries who have managed to capture a piece of the future in the stagnating present? It's doubtful, only because most bands, regardless of genre, don't share the technical prowess and high- minded production values evidenced throughout this impressive work. But perhaps others will imitate the band's recognition that the classics do go out of style, and thus seek to express themselves in new and exciting ways.

-Kevin Ruggeri

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RATING KEY
10.0: Indispensable, classic
9.5-9.9: Spectacular
9.0-9.4: Amazing
8.5-8.9: Exceptional; will likely rank among writer's top ten albums of the year
8.0-8.4: Very good
7.5-7.9: Above average; enjoyable
7.0-7.4: Not brilliant, but nice enough
6.0-6.9: Has its moments, but isn't strong
5.0-5.9: Mediocre; not good, but not awful
4.0-4.9: Just below average; bad outweighs good by just a little bit
3.0-3.9: Definitely below average, but a few redeeming qualities
2.0-2.9: Heard worse, but still pretty bad
1.0-1.9: Awful; not a single pleasant track
0.0-0.9: Breaks new ground for terrible
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