Friday: Tesseract - Dystopia

     Speaking of new albums (as I was the other day when I was wondering how you're liking the new Refused disc), what does everybody think about Tesseract's latest Polaris? You haven't had nearly as much time to sit with it as you've had for Freedom, but perhaps you've still got some first impressions?

     I've been a big Tesseract fan since One, so I'm maybe a little biased, but here's what I'm feeling so far: Polaris didn't blow me away right out of the gate. Definitely rock-solid, but not mind-blowing. It does, however, grow on me with each listen - not a "grower" in the traditional sense that you didn't really like something at first but then warmed up to it, moreso in the sense that it was something good, and just keeps getting better.

     That's where I'm sitting with Polaris right now; I'm still discovering all the little notes and nuances, increasing my enjoyment of the record every time through. We'll just have to wait and see where I ultimately put this one in Tesseract's catalogue, but for now I'll say I'm super pleased with album three. So pleased, in fact, that I can't really decide which song to point you towards today (since you've already had both of the singles) meaning I'm just going to start you at the start. Your Friday Tesseract song is therefore Polaris-opener "Dystopia". Press play and let the whole thing ride.

Tuesday: Refused - Destroy the Man

     I know I've asked you this before, but how's the new Refused album sitting with you? Was Freedom worth the wait? If you were expecting The Shape of Punk to Come 2.0, then probably not. But if you were just anxious to hear some new Refused material, whatever shape it might take, then I think it's safe to assume you weren't disappointed.

     I'm definitely in the latter camp; I didn't know what to expect out of new Refused, so I didn't expect anything, and was therefore pleasantly surprised with Freedom. I don't think it's an instant classic, but it will certainly grow on you if you give it a couple of listens. And give it a couple of listens you should.

     But maybe you need some encouragement, so your belated Tuesday song for this week (we're going to get caught up, I swear!!) is "Destroy the Man". See if it tickles your fancy at all, and thengo out and give the rest of Freedom a go.

Sunday: Refused - Dawkins Christ

     OK class, show of hands: who's been jamming the new Refused record Freedom over the past week or so? And what does everybody think? Are you one of those people who's a bit butt-hurt because Freedom isn't exactly what they expected and/or hoped for? Or are you, like me, pleasantly surprised with this grower-not-a-shower of an album?

     Fans expecting The Shape of Punk to Come 2.0 might be disappointed that the rest of Freedom doesn't hit as hard as "Elektra", but as usual, the open-minded listener is rewarded here with something interesting and different. Refused have come a ways in the last fifteen or twenty years, but if you don't go into Freedom with a particular set of expectations all built up and ready to be disappointed, I think you'll find that there's a lot of good stuff to be had.

     Case in point: "Dawkins Christ", which oscillates between simmering menace and bursting punk energy. Like many of the tracks on Freedom, it's not especially heavy, or fast, or technical, but it is just enough of all of those things to hook a listener like me. Maybe it'll hook a listener like you, maybe not, but if you're at all into Refused, it deserves at least a look. The shape of punk that's come might not be what you thought it would be, but that doesn't mean it isn't cool.

Refused - Francafrique

     Ready for some more new Refused? You say that you are, but we'll just see about that, as their newest noise comes with a bit of a twist.

     The 'twist' in "Francafrique", the latest single from the forthcoming Freedom, is a weird kind of funky, poppy mentality that reminds me in places (the verses, specifically) of Nine Inch Nails more recent stuff. And lest you think you're ready even for that, there's some full on horns sprinkled throughout this one.

     But inside this somewhat unexpected shell is a core that feels suitably Refused. The lyrical content and the attitude are as grimy and acerbic as you might expect, and the tonal shift musically isn't that outrageous given the band's experimentation in the past. So get on board (like me) or get butt hurt (like some of the internet seems to be on this one) but either way, get "Francafrique".

Refused - Elektra

     No fancy alliteration today, just some new music for you that's been nearly two decades in the making. No, it's not new Guns N' Roses, it's just new Refused. Yeah, they're not so fucking dead after all.

     News of new tour information meant it was pretty much only a matter of time before we heard some new material from the reformed Refused, and now we've got our wish. Several times over, in fact -- the new material in question is not just the single that is today's song, but a whole new Refused album. Freedom is due out at the end of June, but for a more immediate slice of the Refused energy and ferocious riffing you're looking for you can listen to "Elektra" right now.

Album of the Week: Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come

     Last week's epic Song of the Day slide managed not only to take entirely to long to get under control but also to bump last week's Album of the Week entirely off my radar. But fear not, faithful reader, I'm back on track this week (more or less...) and I've got you album-length listening needs covered.

     This week I'm going with another one of those "putting your money where my mouth is" kind of posts, by which I mean that I'm going to recommend you spend the next week with a record that's already been the source of several Songs of the Day, and one that I've often espoused in the past, just never in this format. The more cynical among you might read this as a cop-out, especially considering the fact that I just did a Refused song a few days ago, but I firmly believe that The Shape of Punk to Come has had such a large impact on the shape of so much of the heavy music that came after it that it deserves to be revisited.

     So if you already know this chimerical bombination in 12 bursts, why not take this opportunity to reacquaint yourself with a classic? And if somehow you don't know Refused, or don't know The Shape of Punk to Come, for fuck's sake stop what you're doing and discover one of the most influential records of the last fifteen years or so. Refused are fucking dead -- long live Refused.

Raiju - The Kool-Aid

     Yesterday's bout of cosmic inspiration regarding Refused took precedence over your usual Tech Tuesday programming -- I had to strike while the iron was hot, so to speak. But just in case you're still jonesin' for something a tad techier, I've got the perfect prescription for you.

     California's Raiju remind me a lot of Protest the Hero: a powerful vocalist with some range, a super-tight rhythm section, a healthy helping of high energy noodling, even a melodic, sing-alongable chorus. But where Protest started life as more of a punk band, and still occasionally show flashes of this in their more recent, more metal offerings, Raiju takes the spastic Protest ADD formula and goes full shred with it. If Protest is perhaps a little unsure of its musical pedigree, a little "jack of all trades", Raiju is unabashedly shreddy, proggy metal.

     So, in summation, it's not tech death, but technicality takes many forms, and after listening to "The Kool-Aid" from the band's recently released EP Haunt I think you'll agree that these guys are plenty tech enough for a Tech Tuesday... even if it does happen to actually be Wednesday right now. Stay tech everybody.

Refused - Protest Song '68

     Sometimes -- not often, but sometimes -- it feels like the universe is speaking to me in strange ways. Just this morning, on my way home from work, the shuffle gods that govern my mp3 player deigned to give me some of Swedish legends Refused for my commute. Then, not an hour after getting home, I read the rumour that Refused are working on a new album.

     Sure, the "evidence" that work on a new record is indeed happening is somewhat scant, limited largely to some online whispers of vocal tracking progress and the late October "firing" of guitarist Jon Brannstrom (which at least suggests that the band might be looking to tour or record again). But, like their fellow Swedes At the Gates, Refused have the kind of following and legacy that a new record from them could be a pretty big deal.

     Or it could suck, shattering the rose-tinted image of Refused we've built up in our memories. Maybe there's no living up to the expectations that will surely precede any follow-up to the band's seminal The Shape of Punk to Come. Maybe Refused should just be a Refused cover band forever more, playing tracks like "Protest Song '68" to packed clubs of nostalgic devotees like some badass post-hardcore version of Kiss. I guess we'll all just have to jam some old stuff, like the aforementioned "Protest Song", while we get our collective hopes up.

Monday: Stray From the Path - Counting Sheep

     I've never really been a Stray From the Path fan, but I recently stumbled across this song and decided it reminds me of some other stuff that I am a  fan of, so today I'm going to connect a couple of dots for you. Enjoy.

     Dot one: the song "Counting Sheep" from Stray From the Path's latest LP Anonymous. Dot two: post-hardcore godfathers Refused. Dot three: heirs to Refused's crown, letlive. Stray From the Path has the same aggressive energy and the same catchy-songwriting-with-a-ragged-edge as both of those bands. The latter's Jason Aalon Butler even does some guest work on Anonymous, so maybe it's not so strange that I'm mentioning Stray From the Path in the same breath as Jason's letlive.

     It's not techy or proggy, and it's not really even metal, so it's not necessarily the usual fare around here, but it'll move you, and maybe that's all you need right now.

United Nations - United Nations vs. United Nations

     You might be in need of something snappy after last night's post-rock meanderings, so tonight I bring you an incendiary couple of minutes of modern hardcore/aggro post-punk from supergroup United Nations.

     With a founding roster than includes members of Thursday, Glassjaw, and Converge, United Nations is a supergroup in the truest sense of the word, and a mysterious one at that. The permanent membership of the band remains largely unconfirmed and speculative, other than Thursday vocalist Geoff Rickly, giving it the feel of a collective where art is more important than artists.

     The band's sophomore LP The Next Four Years comes out in the next couple of weeks, so you should probably get ready by listening to the first song to be released, "United Nations vs. United Nations", and hear a band that has most definitely picked up the torch first lit by Refused.

letlive. - The Priest and Used Cars

     I've written about letlive. before, but that was before I'd heard all of their latest album The Blackest Beautiful. Upon closer inspection I've decided that the catchy aggressive edge of "Banshee (Ghost Fame)" is not a one-off fluke. If you dig that sort of thing, The Blackest Beautiful has a bunch more where it came from.

     When "Banshee" was the song of the day, I believe my comparison was of letlive. to a bastard child of Refused and Glassjaw. While I stand by that simile, I would throw a bunch of other bands into the mix if I were trying to define letlive's sound. They're a post-hardcore band in the truest sense of the word, building on the hardcore genre in a myriad of ways.

      Case in point: today's song, "The Priest and Used Cars", which has a punky energy that brings to mind Protest the Hero and another helping of vocalist Jason Aalon Butler's virtuosity, which is often reminiscent of Claudio from Coheed and Cambria (if Claudio had a more frantic, manic energy). It's a tasty combination.

      But I could go on all night about who letlive. sounds like at one moment or the next. Why not listen to "The Priest and Used Cars" and see how awesome they are for yourself?

RSJ - Collectively We Are Tall

     Just in case you needed reminding, allow me to do the honours: it's that time of year again. No, not Christmas. Well, yes Christmas, but more pertinently (for our current purposes) it's also Best of 2013 time, when music websites join just about everybody else in looking back on the year that was by trotting out their lists of best albums of the year.

     I'm waiting until the year's actually done to post my Ten Best of 2013 (gives me more time to deliberate, y'dig?) but that doesn't mean I won't take advantage of the opportunity provided to me by the rest of the Internet's gun-jumpers to discover some new, quality stuff. Thus it is that venerable site Metalsucks has led me to today's song from grimy metalcore Brits RSJ.

     Leaving aside how metal an album title I find Higgs Boson to be, RSJ are packing the aggressive energy and riffage of a grindy Refused or Every Time I Die. And if the video for "Collectively We Are Tall" is any indication, these guys also have both a healthy sense of humour and a commendable lack of shame -- always a winning combination. So slip into something more comfortable and get ready for some pelvic thrusts and deep lunges. You can thank me after you've felt the burn.

Song of the Day: letlive. - Banshee (Ghost Fame)

     Kyle Bishop and I (among others) agree, you should all be checking out the first single from the upcoming The Blackest Beautiful by letlive.

Song of the Day (Mar22): Refused - Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine

     As part of my role as an educator I like to do a little history lesson here at Loud Noises every once in a while. Today's band have been the subject of such lessons before, but how will new generations of Loud Noises readers learn if they don't get the same instruction as those who've gone before them? Exactly.

Today's Song: Refused - Refused Are Fuckin' Dead

     For today's (quick) song, we're going to visit a band not dissimilar from yesterday's band Numbers, in that they're both a little hard to pin down, genre-wise, and also in that I've written about both before.

Song of the Day: Russian Circles - Malko

     Today is a continuation of yesterday's theme of reminding you about shit I've already mentioned. However, unlike Refused, a band you should almost be ashamed not to have heard of by this point, today's band is not one I'll shun you for not knowing. That being said, they're cool, and you'll still be a cooler, less shunnable person for having heard them, so do yourself a favour and wise up right now to instrumental masters Russian Circles.

Song of the Day: Refused - New Noise

     I've talked about today's band and their importance to modern heavy music before before in a Song of the Day, but I feel like there's probably some among you out there who still don't know how much the music you like probably owes them. So today you get another song from the classic final album by Swedish punk pioneers Refused.

Song of the Day: Refused - The Deadly Rhythm

     Are you now or were you ever into emo, screamo, post-hardcore, metalcore...anything with "core" appended to the end of it, really? Basically, have you been into any heavy music in the last ten to fifteen years? Then you owe at least a little something to Swedish band Refused, and in particular to their 1998 classic The Shape of Punk to Come. So classic is this album that I can think of at least a half a dozen songs, off the top of my head, without even looking at a track list, that could be songs of the day. I picked this one.

     Your song for today is "The Deadly Rhythm" by Refused. Like I said, I could have chosen others, but this one came up on my shuffle the other day and stuck with me for a bit, so why not it? Are Refused fucking dead? You be the judge.