Antillectual

Remember that ‘new’ Guns n’ Roses album? Not so happy how it turned out? Neither were we, and we somehow managed to link our discontent to the uprise of the economies in the Orient. Seriously though, this song is about the effects of the ever growing economies on that side of the world on the western world. To put it in Johan Cruijff’s words: “to every advantage, there is a disadvantage” (or something … ).

Our guest is Lenneke Knape. She works with bands like NOFX and Blink 182, runs Rockit Promotions, used to host “Witlof” on KinkFM and was kind enough to share some of her experience with us while we were planning the release of our album. Our appearance at the Groezrock festival earlier this year for example was largely thanks to her efforts.

Please read on, enjoy the song and feel free to share it with your friends.

Skip to: Special Guest / Lyrics / Liner Notes

Lenneke Knape says

When Antillectual approached me some time back to ask if I could help them bringing their plans to the next level I was thrilled. They’ve been around for such a long time that, if you are the least interested in punk rock music you must have been living in a cave if you haven’t heard about them yet. Obviously they are one of the most hard working bands in the scene around here. For me they are also the most political minded band I’ve ever worked with. However, don’t expect any clever lines on politics from me, I grew up on bands like Fear, Social Distortion, NOFX, Blink182 and the first band I worked with were the Vandals.

Nevertheless I have deep respect for their devotion and passion for the subject. I’d like to take advantage of this opportunity to write something to go with the release of their track “Chinese Takeover” to reach out to all of you working in the industry and all of you loving and living music, to help these guys to get their name out there, to get them booked on every stage in the entire world. They will seriously rock their hearts out.

My wish for them is that all of you will find out what I found out, which is that Antillectual is not only a very good band who produce awesome albums, care about the world, and are the sweetest guys around, mainly they are an asset to punk rock music these days and I want everybody to be aware of that.

Lyrics

Take a look at our economy
Take a look at our politics
Take a look at our morality
What a chance to progress

A Western world at sixes and sevens
Now is the time
To push over what is staggering
And welcome the new paradigm

Crisis

Opportunities for others
The orient knocking on our door
Claiming what is theirs
And a final closure of colonization

But to every advantage
There is a disadvantage
Together with their takeaway
We import and accept their standards

Chinese democracy doesn’t sound that good to me

Liner Notes

The balances in the world are shifting. The powers that were are no longer the powers that will be. In Asia there are countries whose economies are growing even faster than their population. And with their economies, their political power is increasing enormously as well. Hopefully the new balance will be a more equal balance than before, bringing wealth and freedom to regions that have been colonized and oppressed in the past.

Too much power for one country or one particular group of countries is never healthy. If the balance flips over to the other side we have to be on our toes. Because Chinese democracy is not only a terrible record. Our moral standards are not the same as other societies’ standards. We should be on the lookout for not only the economic takeover that so many people fear, but also for a moral takeover: disrespect for human and animal life and environmental abuse.
On the other hand: there is so much more we can learn and take over from the east than just their takeaway. It also is an opportunity for us to grow.

That’s it for this week’s song. We’ll be back next week with a track that was written by good old Yvo, D-beat lovers beware!