IN-SANE – trust these hands … are
worthless
(CD, Moon Lee)
These days I spend the long
and cold mid-winter weekend afternoons and evenings going through the heaps
of records, CDs and other media of music that have accumulated here
throughout the last one and a half decades, sorting out what shall stay
another decade or so and what will be thrown out. Getting rid of
materialistic posessions has a cleansing effect, not only on my living
quarters, but also on my soul and on the way I view posessions. For
instance, I have another principle regarding clothing: for ever item I buy
an alike item has to go out. So, I buy a new t-shirt, I throw out an old
one. Moreover, once a year I go through my closet and see what can be
donated. Nevertheless, there is still way too much stuff lying around here.
Anyway, while going through all these records, I am putting them on my
player as well and I came across a few old harcore-punk records and I was
relieved to find that they still radiate with the same energy and call for
changing the world as back then.
I admit, Hardcore and all that
goes along with it, has been very formative for me years back, but it is a
scene I have somehow faded away from – or it has faded from my life by
itself, who knows? It goes with growing older and more mature, with taking
over multiple kinds of responsibilities and seeing the youth ideals go the
way of everything connected to youth. And most of all it goes with realizing
that hardcore punk might be the only musical genre strictly progressive in
ideals and almost as dogmatically conservative in music. And so a lot of
other interesting musical genres come along to be explored and offer new
ideas, energy and stories. But, of course, hardcore punk should never be
reduced to the music. It is more about ideas like freedom and equality for
all, DIY – doing it yourself not only to save money but to regain total
control over your live, about joy and fun in your life and finally also
about trying to change the world to the better. And I like to say to myself,
that even though I don’t spend my nights in squats anymore listening to
four guys from Italy or the Czech Republic trashing it out, I still carry
those ideals around with me. And so it is good to see that the music and the
scene are still around, out there.
In-Sane keep it up, probably
and hopefully like many hundreds and thousands other bands as well. And this
album has everything that I remember to be cool and enjoyable about
punkrock: “trust these hands … are worthless” starts with the
following lyrics: “we’re building up a revolution / fighting for our
brand new world” and this kind of spirit goes through all the songs. The
trio from Slovenia has certainly infused their minds not only with the music
of Hot Water Music,
Dag Nasty and Bad
Religion, but also with the ideas and ideals. So consequently
they also run their own recording studio (DIY Life Trip) and the production
and sound on the record is flawless. Their style of punrock is energetic,
dynamic and filled with twists and turns to keep it interesting. I sprays
with youthful energy and musically the best comparison might be NoFX, though
In-Sane are much more serious than the old California punkrockers were.
They’d never waste a song on a joke, I guess. Nevertheless, and this might
be the final paradox of punkrock, that no matter how many political ideas
and ideals are being packed into a song, the best way to listen to it is as
loud as possible and with a beer in your hand.
The band is known for touring
Europe almost all the time, and in true punkrock spirit, they are making
friends everywhere and connecting to likeminded people. That kind of
dedication and openess turns many doors and opens many opportunities. I am
always amazed at what short means it is possible for bands to get around the
globe. So, as a result of this, “trust these hands …” is a
co-production of five labels: No Reason (Italy), Fond of life (Germany),
Shield (Netherlands), Bad Mood (Switzerland) and Moon Lee (Slovenia) – and
the review runs under the shield of Moon Lee not only because they share
their home country with in-sane but also because they sent me the album as
well as having a fine taste in music, as all their releases show (Analena, Hesus Attor, Bernays Propaganda,
and many others). Check them out yourself, and get a little revolution back
into your life.
