Randy

Item: Welfare Problems
Rating: 9
Author: SatanicSurferz

Welfare Problems (2003)

SatanicSurferz

Legend:
TNWWGFI = There's no way we're gonna fit in
RIS = The rest is silence
YCKAGBD = You can't keep a good band down
HAB = The human atom bombs
WP = Welfare problems
Here's the lastest release from these Swedish guys.
What is great with this band is that they change their sound on every record. From a punk rock sound on TNWWGFI, to a more heavy sound on RIS (Propagandhi-style), to a more melodic/catchy sound on YCKAGBD and finally to a rock 'n' roll sound on HAB. WP is much like HAB or Cheater as it's still a rock 'n' roll sound, but is different. The singers' voices are more "blury" (don't know exactly how to describe that) and so the guitars. And they use keyboard sounds in many songs. I was so surprised the first time I heard HAB, it was so different from what they did before. But they manage to surprise me again with WP. While it's a lot closer to HAB that HAB was to YCKAGBD, you'll noticed some differences.
Sandout tracks include "A Man In Uniform" (they are doing a video for this one) about the riots in Gothenburg 2001, where one man got shot by the police. "X-Ray Eyes", the slowest song on the album. The first time I heard it, I thought it was an awful song, but now, I really like it. "Cheater" is also on the "Cheater" EP, but this is a different version of this song (even better). As you may already know, most of the songs have political/socially aware lyrics ("Welfare Problems", "Dirty Tricks" just to name a few), but it's less evident than on their previous releases. There's no weak track!
The only negative aspect of this CD is that there's only 12 songs, which is kinda short. And I think the lyrics are not as good as on HAB. Give it many listens before judging it. It took me a long time to fully appreciate it.
In the end, this is another wonderful release by Randy (not as good as HAB, but close). If you didn't like HAB or Cheater, don't even listen to this one. But if, like me, you think that HAB was a masterpiece, go get Welfare Problems! It seems that these guys can do no wrong.