We Got Ways

If you are not aware, Hjernespind has just reissued the Young Wasteners LP. This records originally came out about 5 years ago on Kick N Punch and had become a bit of a collector's item. I missed out when it originally came out, but was able to secure a copy in trade for a Th'Inbred LP. Either way, I'm not sure how long this will be easily available, so you'd best get on it before you miss out again.

Lots of people might complain about the lack of originality of We Got Ways, but that seems pretty unfounded. While at times it's very referential(even so far as to have a song about Ecuador and mentioning Maggie and Ronnie), it's not overly so, at least not in a way that I feel detracts from the enjoyment of the record. The band plays hardcore punk with a very sincere innocence that's sadly missing from a lot of bands today. While I'm sure a language barrier is at play, it's easy to see that they are not worried about sounding stupid. "It's the irony of the society". And what's more the record is great not in spite of this, but because of it.

The problem with a lot of bands in the punk scene today is they are watching themselves from the outside. While this "self-awareness" works for bands like Tragedy, the Final Solutions and Framtid(and bands like Born Against, that practically based their whole identity around it), these are the minority. For every Lebenden Toten there is a hundred bands that are just too fucking worried about appearing immature, or juvenile. Did you like Fucked Up more when they had lyrics about "trying to get some sleep, they throw me in their jeep", or when they had 8 minute songs about "what lies underneath the immediate, visualized world"? I think you get what I'm saying.

We Got Ways is one of the top 10 LPs of the 2000s. Fantastic vocals, catchy songs, stupid(the good kind) lyrics. Buy this or give up.