Review Summary: This criminally underrated album by Absolute Kynisk is one of the best albums ever recorded. It deserves all the attention it can get, though it undoubtly does not seek any attention.
Prologue:
Vandalisme is the debut- and only album by the Norwegian band
Absolute Kynisk, consisting of four
very capable musicians
Morten Strand,
Morten Johansen,
Joar Kenneth Myhre and
Bernt Espen Hansen.
This might just be the most criminally underrated album ever. How on earth does this continue to go on so unnoticed? Probably due to the fact that the band consists of no extravagant, flamboyant weirdos; just ordinary Norwegians. And also that this album is as indie and DIY as it can be.
Whatever the reasons for this going unnoticed is, it's nevertheless incredible that it does. Because this truly is one of the best albums ever recorded. And I don't mean like "one of the thousand best albums", or "one of the hundred best albums", or even "one of the ten best albums". This is one of
the best albums ever recorded.
So, what is it that makes this album so special? What is the reason I stress how good this album is? I have decided to write two reviews on this album. Each very fitting and describing. One long review, and one that's a bit shorter.
The long review:
The themes on this album is accepting death, and getting passed the pain, anger and sadness. To realise and accept death, and obtaining closure.
It starts out with a short rock song, with plenty of ounces with attitude. The brilliant guitar riff that almost remind me of something
Echo & The Bunnymen could've done, makes perfect company to the upbeat and rushing drums. To keep it all organized, is the driving and comforting bass. The first thing we hear from Morten Strand on this album is "Åh!". And it couldn't be much more filled with attitude if it tried.
The way I see it, this song really is the epilogue, and the next songs are flashbacks where we get to learn the story.
Because one of this album's greatest strenghts is the amazingly clever, and straightforward lyrics. You though
Jarvis Cocker,
Simon Steadman and
Alex Turner wrote simplistic and concretely? They write Shakespeare compared to this band, in which the band members take turns writing the lyrics. The second song, "Holding My Breath", starts out with a mellow guitar intro thing, going into a more creepy - but still very mellow, guitar riff. Then comes the relaxed drums and tranquil bass - and the haunting voice of Morten Strand, who starts telling us a story of death.
An explosions takes place. An explosion that starts out with a heavy drum beat, followed by a fantastic, distorted guitar riff. The chorus goes "
Now you're gone and I'm all alone/I hold my breath and hope for death".
Then comes a even rougher and more distorted guitar riff that reminds me off something from
Black Sabbath's
Paranoid album.
"
I cried when you died/To heaven you flew/But now I know how/How I can join you", sings Morten. Indicating that he (whoever the album is about) feels suicidal, as he fully realises that his love is dead.
To follow that very upbeat and harsh track, is a very comfortable ballad entitled "Beautiful Day". With extremely pleasant guitar riffs and chord progression, another tranquil, companionable bassline and controlled drumming. Along with those things that make up a melancholic and beautiful melody, there's Morten's intense and passionate vocals singing "Here I sit with a candle lit/Nothing much to say, it's just a beautiful day". The protagonist of this album is sitting and thinking about how he has been betrayed. I do not know if this takes place before, or after his love has died, but he sits there and says that he "
never realized how much words can say about love/But will I ever realize that all you said were lies?".
Next up is the very vivacious and heavy track "Perfect World". Heavy guitar layers meet heavy, upbeat drumming and a signature bassline that pretty much kicks ass. This song is about how the protagonists met his love,. And how this girl became his best friend's girlfriend, and how he solved that "issue". "
And there is this nice girl, living across the street/When I see her my heart starts to beat/She has lovely eyes, simply worth dying for/The sweetest body, can a boy ask for more?" tells us that his love lives near by. The lyrics continue with "
I hope that some time/Her hand will be in mine/Living life together/From now
'til forever", which indicate that he craves her. Pretty cute lyrics altogether. You just can't wait for the next verse, and to know if he gets his girl.
But it suddenly takes an unexpected, drastic turn. "
Then one fateful day, I saw her with my best friend/They fooled around, could this be the end?", the protagonist asks himself. And then follows another, even more suprising turn - "
My very best friend would ruin my whole life/I couldn't let this happen, so I stabbed him with a knife". The manner in which Morten Strand perform these lines are absolutely terrifying. He sounds detached from every popular music norm, as he shouts in mad ways.
As a result of smart thinking, they repeat the chorus once again - creating quite a paradox. This further enhances my impression that he eventually "gets the girl", E.G. by comforting her after she's lost her boyfriend - the protagonists ex-best friend.
After this there's a guitarsolo that doesn't fail to keep up the tempo, and suspense of the melody - but also manages to show off some effective composing skills. What makes this even cooler to listen to, is the fact that AK only has
one guitarist. This makes the job of the drummer and the bassist bigger, and gives them more freedom that consequently leads to their brilliance easier shining through.
The next track is a 6:53 long masterpiece called "No More Lies". This fair song starts out with rain and thunder. As it progresses, one of the most stunning guitar performances ever, makes its entrance. The drumming helps to create a tense melody full of angst, whenever it isn't missing from the sound picture - allowing the listener to focus 100% on the guitar and vocal performance. The lyrics are astonishingly good, as well. AK have a marvellous ability to write sharp and simple lyrics. The lyrics are "
My thoughts were filled with agony, my heart was filled with misery/A candle lit up in the dark, a light so stroing I couldn't see/She just stood there in the rain, couldn't see I was in pain/Tears were running from my eyes, and I promised her no more lies.
The drums make their entrance, and the guitar goes all fuzzy (a texture not much unlike the one found on "Holding My Breath) - and the chorus is presented. Then follows another verse that ends with the desperate plea "Please just give me one more chance, and I promise you no more lies". Then follows another chorus. After that chorus, it gets even more interesting. First - a nifty acoustic guitar solo, while the bass really takes the step from "doing its job", to "haunting". It has gone largerly unnoticed by, until now - about 3:40.
Then there's yet another chorus - and the first verse all over again, emphasizing and stressing the melancholic and depressed mood and atmosphere, with the vocals going from sad to mirthless - really enhancing the angst in this song. During the chorus, the guitar takes the liberty to play a caustic solo, electric this time.
This song is along with "Den Kyniske Medley" the songs that really are the biggest representatives for the AK sound, which really is unique.
Following "No More Lies" is the short and precise all-acoustic track "Confused", which isn't really essential to the theme or story of the album - but it does help in creating a very varied and consistent album, which perhaps may make you think of
Let It Be by
The Replacements. The lyrics also helps you to paint your picture of the protagonist, as Morten sings "
Sometimes when the stars are green/Sometimes when the fish tastes bad/Sometimes when I think of my mother/Sometimes when the birds are singing/Sometimes when my dick is hard/Sometimes I feel alone/I'm so confused". It's remarkable how well constructed, sharp and simple the lyrics are - and yet they are unbelievably effective and smart.
The next song is called "There He Goes", and starts with the once again clever guitar work - before the drums and bass comes creeping to keep it company. This is another ballad, with Morten Strand's behaviour more melancholic and creepy than on the previous songs. Here the protagonist also comments upon the suicidal thoughts from "Holding My Breath", as Morten sings in the second verse "
I disrespect my own life/I disrespect that I want to die/I'm one of them now whom I used to hate/And don't come telling me it is the fate. TYet again AK shows an amazing ability to write breath takingly simple about very complicated issues. It's all rather effective, enigmatic and glorious - but at the same time very straightforward and simplistic.
After the second verse follows the song's second chorus, a chorus that goes "
No friends no money/I can't feel my toes/No one saying there he goes". Then there's yet another genuis guitar solo constructed by Joar Myhre, followed by yet another chorus, and a third verse - which concludes that "
I'm getting tired, I'll be sleeping soon/I'll be in heaven where there is no moon". Then follows another chorus, where Morten Strand puts just a little more angst to it - and lifts the song even further, singing "
No friends no money/I Can't feel my toes/Angels singing there he goes". You see what they just did? By just merely making that little substitution. From "No one saying there he goes" to "Angels singing there he goes", they make the lyrics of this song not only amazingly well written, but damn near perfect. In this song, I believe the protagonist dies himself - and finally gets to see his love again.
The eighth track is called "Tearful Black Eyes". A calm melody, consisting of a smooth bassline, restrained drumming and another fantastic constructed guitar chord progression.
This song takes place one year after the death of the main character's love. The way they choose to formulate the lyrics are heavyset barefaced. "A year has past, I feel so weak/Since the day I left. You I always seek" implies that the protagonist feels guilty, and consider himself guilty of his love's death (though we do not know how she died). We also learn of how the main character feels very sad and alone, when Morten Strand sings with true emotion: "I mourn in this wind which runs with the night/No laughter exists in this pale moonlight". Emotion really is a keyword to this track. Morten Strand really adds a huge quantity of greatness to this track with his fervently, lovely performance.
Later in the song, the protagonist visits the grave of his love. "Where are you to welcome me?/Sadness fills my eyes, a tombstone is all I see/Upon your grave a rose I plant/Memories will last but never chant".
Then, just before the fifth minute of the track - the AK explosion! Distorted, heavy guitars; irate drumming; pounding bass; shouted vocals; it's all there. They continue this heavy,
heavy section of the melody for a bit - until about 5:45, where an awesome guitar riff kicks in. And when I say awesome, I really mean awesome! This is the most badass riff since "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath!
That kickass riff ends "Tearful Black Eyes", and next up is the natural highlight of the album - "Den Kyniske Medley". It is in this track AK's brilliance really,
really shines through. Both regarding the lyrics, and the melody. This song is sort of a biography of the protagonist's life, prior to meeting his love. It's, I think, about his family. And it's a hell of a sad story.
First - what I believe to be his brother dies:
"
It was his sixteenth birthday/It was a long time ago/He was riding on his bicycle/And he was high on drugs/And then he drove into a car/And then he died".
Then follows the story of his presumed sister:
"
She was only nine/Her mother called her Mary/Her father abused her/Sexually/She took her own life/And then she died".
Morten Strand sings these two sections over a very melancholic, restrained and calm melody - with enough angst to go around to everyone. The angst and sadness is so manifested, it's almost as if you can touch and feel it. And look how straightforward and fearless the lyrics actually are. There's no camouflaging of the lyrics. It's straight to the point, and terribly gruesome and sensational.
Then there's another AK explosion of trashing guitars, fierce drumming and heavy bass, with Morten Strand's chaotic shouting of the main character's feelings regarding his father "
Don't know what you mean about being hard on me/Don't know what you mean about being mad at me/All I wanted was to be alone". This very point of the album is perhaps the most fierce, angry and pissed off point - up until now.
And just as you think you can't take any more of this painful angst and anger, it gets even heavier. Because, after a bit of vocal absence, there's a very familiar drum roll, and a familiar guitar riff... "
ÅH!" clamours Morten Strand, like a madman. It's "See You in Hell" again, this time much heavier and chaotic than before.
The lyrics here are very odd. "
Just like Jesus you raised from the dead/Became human one more time/You never told me that you were going to die/And wake up again/I got very suprised/To see you exist in my life". Very confusing and odd, especially compared to the rest of the album. The way I interpret these lyrics are that his feelings for his love has once again come to life; and he's breaking.
A pandemonium of anger and pain reveals itself to the listener for a short while, and is ended with the words "
I have only one thing to say to you/I'll see you in heaven or in hell". But despise this minor setback, he does finally get his closure...
I believe the flashbacks are over now. We've gotten the story so far, and next up should be the end of the story.
The tenth track is called "Always Be Your Guard", and as the title implies - deals with the main character's acceptance, and realising that his love is gone - and ain't coming back.
"
I couldn't tell how much I loved you/But now it's all too late/Now you're gone forever/I reckon it's the fate", thinks the protagonist - as he tries to achieve closure.
The lines "I will never forget your lovely eyes/Or when we made Love/I wonder how it's up there/Watching people from above/I will always be your guard" indicates that the protagonist has accepted his loss, and is thankful for the time he was given together with his love.
As for the melody of this song, it's another relaxed and calm one. Restrained and kept in check at all times. A really accomplished track.
The song ends with the words - "
I'm standing out in the darkness/In the middle of the graveyard/I can feel you're here tonight/And I'll always be your guard/I will always be your guard/And you'll never leave my heart", really confirming and emphasizing that the protagonist has obtained closure.
The last song is the hidden track, "Running Away". Another all-acoustic track. This takes place in the same period of time as "Tearful Black Eyes", and deals with ultimately the same as "Always Be Your Guard". Acceptance. "
It was a year ago, you never said goodbye/You left without telling me what you felt inside/Now I'm laying in my bed, thinking of you my love/I miss what we had together baby," With all the members in the band joining in on the chorus - "
You ran away from me/You ran away baby/And why did you have to go away/Tell me where did I do wrong?". All in all a very emotional and pretty album closer, though not being the real story closer. "Always Be Your Guard" basically kills the story; but "Running Away" is a very welcome song that further enhances the protagonist's acceptance and closure.
Many questions remain unanswered in this story. How did the main character's love die? Suicide? Did the protagonist kill her? Was she really mere fiction? A person only existing in the protagonist's head?
But I find the point of the story to be acceptance of death, or how to achieve acceptance of death.
AK are true masterminds. This story is so magnificent, and well written - that it's near revolutioning in modern rebellious music. This band takes the writing style of cheeky British guys like Jarvis Cocker, and sprinkles it with their own genius - and almost creates a new way of writing stories!
This combined with the exciting melody composing, and the signature AK sound - not found in any other band, makes this album one of
the best albums ever recorded.
This is an album that will find its way into your CD and MP3 player, many a time - if you are able to comprehense its true genius. It's an album that'll never leave your side, and force you to listen to it over and over again. You'll never forget the brutally honest and sharp lyrics nor the melancholic and atmospheric melodies. This album is greater than life itself.
The short review:
This album is perfect.
