Rob’s Album Of The Week: Viagra Boys’ Welfare Jazz
The great equalizer of pressure is approach. It’s evident in music because any new release is subject to scrutiny, especially when the prior one is met with so much acclaim. With that being said, a devil may care attitude and a willingness to incorporate new influences can be the best way to go. Stockholm post-punks Viagra Boys did this with their sophomore full-length, Welfare Jazz, that came out on January 8 via the label Year0001. It’s a stellar follow-up to their 2018 debut LP Street Worms that brings new elements to the table while maintaining a fearless vibe.
I don’t know if they did this on purpose or just to be a parody, but there’s a bit more of a twang with this new release. A few songs have a country vibe, and there’s even a rendition of a duet originally done by the late John Prine and Iris DeMent. It’s interesting to hear a band influenced by rock music from the late ’70s and ’80s honor this style. Then again, vocalist Sebastian Murphy, guitarist Benjamin Vallé, saxophonist Oskar Carls, drummer Tor Sjödén, bassist Henrik Höckert and keyboardist Elias Jungqvist have always seemed to do things their own way. I love it when a band refuses to put themselves in a box and this is what Welfare Jazz does in its entirety.
Is it just me, or is 2020 holding 2021’s beer so far? If you don’t get what I mean, it seems like the insanity from last year has been taken up to another notch. I try to not encapsulate myself into the 24/7 news cycle because it’ll drive me mad, but damn we live in a crazy world. I think it’s only a matter of how far we fall until we as a society decide to wise up and be better to each other. Until that happens, chill out and enjoy my top tracks off of the Album Of The Week:
“Ain’t Nice” kicks off the album with a classic punk edge. It’s emphatic and intense while also giving off a bit of charisma. One of those twangy tracks I alluded to earlier is “Toad”. I can totally picture Murphy singing this song in a pair of overalls and a straw hat. Coming in with that old school new wave style is “Creatures” and it’s an ode to the downtrodden and the ones who lost the will to care.
Because COVID-19 is still here, there aren’t any proper live music or touring happening as of press time. That hasn’t stopped virtual events from going on through. Viagra Boys recently did a livestream titled Shrimp Sessions 2 and you can watch a few videos from it on their Youtube channel. Maybe they’ll do some more stuff like this or maybe they’ll wait patiently until actual shows can happen again. Until then, grab a copy of Welfare Jazz and turn it all the way up.
