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Perspectives & Objectives

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Soundtrack

How do you sleep at night? Wake up and smell the apathy
Why don’t we hit the streets? Live life a little less carefree
Less “no”, more “YEAH!”, it seems we’re stuck at “maybe”
Not just a piece of the pie, we want the whole fucking bakery
Fuck fact-free politics ‘mockracy, I can’t believe the state we’re in
Our state ruled by hypocracy, we’re preaching water, drinking wine

Less “no”, more “YEAH!”

Let this be the soundtrack of how you change your life, no-one will do it for you
Let this be the soundtrack of how we change our world, there’s only “us”
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
We’ll only regret things we didn’t do

How can you care so little about the world we live in?
Just because you don’t care doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter
I love these songs and books edging our minds like pencil sharpeners
There are no pros and cons to giving a shit when you’re in it for the message

From Russian Pussy Riot, re-educated Indo-punks, to stoned emos in Irak
We got freedom of speech but nothing to say while spring is spreading everywhere
What kind of message do we send the opposition of the willing if we don’t even seem to care
Tough shit, everything is political, there’s no escape, a-political is just impossible
Too bad, songs won’t change a thing at all, needless to say, revolts need to be audible

Liner notes:

“Music with a message, what has it ever done to change the world?”
Always a great argument when talking about socially engaged music. Maybe music never directly started a revolution or accomplished change on its own, it sure has played an important role as soundtrack to social (r)evolutions. The spirit of the slaves in the 19th century wouldn’t have been as strong without its “black music”. Without Bob Dylan’s songs the civil rights movement in the 1960s wouldn’t have been as widespread. The recession in the 1980s wouldn’t have been as dark and heartfelt without the sound of punk.
In today’s day and age it is impossible to exclude yourself from what is going on around you. We are more informed about the world around us than ever before, and it is consequently harder to look away and not care about it. Today’s music is a part of that world, accompanying us and current events.

Welcome to le jungle

Welcome to le jungle, we got fun ‘n’ games
We got everything you want, you only have your dreams
Welcome to paradise, you’re here to keep it clean
We only tolerate you, working our machines as slaves

“They only care about their own share”
Where do you think they got their inspiration?
We only care about our own share
How dare you blame them pursuing a better life

Some doors, once opened, will never shut again
The golden cage is cracked, come in, a chance for all to win
Les sans-papiers, les sans-culottes, laissez faire
Everyone is a fortune hunter, now deal with it

Liner notes:

There are some misunderstandings I can’t get around. A number of people think that the process of globalization is a process that can be “undone”. They think it is possible to return to a world where the focus lies on our own lives, without the need for a broader perspective. I’m sorry to break the news to them: the genie is out of the bottle.
And why is it normal for western people to try to get the most out of their lives but why are people that don’t live in a western country being called fortune hunters or economic refugees for doing exactly the same? What is the difference between personal ambitions and opportunism in this case?
In the Netherlands a refugee committed suicide in a Dutch detention centre in January 2013. This tragic occasion has finally lead to discussion about the huge flaws in the Dutch immigration system and whether or not being an “illegal immigrant” should be criminalized. The degrading situation in Dutch detention centres has resulted in hunger striking immigrants and public dissent.
Le Jungle is the name of a refugee hideout close to Calais, France. A lot of refugees wait there for the ferries going to the UK hoping to hop on one of them, hunting for a better life.

With Gaga on our side

I can’t get used to that you can’t get used to this
That they walk hand in hand or publicly kiss
Retarded reactionaries won’t let them get married
Ironic mustaches unite, Gaga is on our side

I just can’t get used to it, in the safety of our own house
I thought we got this over with, closets closed, please come out
But they won’t toss the bouquet nor the salad or their fiance
You let them toss and turn all night with Gaga by their side

Why are you so fucking scared of those you call so fucking weak?
Why are you so fucking scared? Ask, tell and raise some hell

Always defending family values, you speak of moral poverty
If you defined it less obtuse I maybe would agree
Be welcome at the NFL, no more “don’t ask, don’t tell”
It’s the players’ and the soldiers’ right to have Gaga on their side

We adopt you as our own, we see you as one of us
But don’t think you’re not alone, you’re an outlaw nonetheless
We enjoy your idiosyncrasy, we love our mascot to be a drag
But don’t touch or approach me personally, don’t come to close, step back

Liner notes:

The Netherlands have always been considered a very gay-positive place; Amsterdam was the gay capital of the world for a long time. But a study of The Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP) showed that “even” in the Netherlands gay emancipation still isn’t what it should be. Members of the Dutch lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community still don’t feel 100% accepted, especially in the public space. The process hasn’t been completed yet.
Even though the French and US government seem to embrace same-sex marriages more and more recently, the harsh protests against it shows LGBT rights are far from obvious and natural, which they should be.
Hopefully the LGBT community will find more and more support throughout all layers of the worlds’ societies. Lady Gaga can’t change the world on her own after all.

Work horses vs Show ponies

Feel free to parade on the dog and pony show
We’ll carry our load in the meantime
Don’t call it just luck, what happens off stage you don’t know
It’s simply a choice, make up your mind

Alright stop, collaborate and listen
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen

Who told you that this was going to be easy?
Nobody told you that you would surely prevail
What holds you back from doing as you please?
Those who never try will never fail

But who knows, all placed bets might turn out wrong
I’ll stick with this horse for as long as it’s on the run
I’ve looked it up, I’ve tracked it down in the brochure
But couldn’t find “give up” or “slow down”

Liner notes:

The only road to good shows is bad ones. Just go start having a bad time, and if you don’t give up, you will get better. – Louis C.K. –
Being in this band is our main passion, giving it our all. I’m sure we told you before. But as with anything else in life, if you love (doing) something, it will take a lot of time and energy to make it work and get ahead. There’s no luck and less talent than you think involved. In the end it’s only one decision: Start a band.

Pink print

I would hate this to sound sexist: “This goes out to all the girls”
So few here, girlfriends, wives and cooks. From the back of the room, only here for the looks?

I hoped we could provide a safer alternative in this gated community
But it seems we’ve failed
Contrary to popular beliefs girls are not just donuts.
How we warn our daughters shows how civilized we are

What do you expect, examples given and standards set?
How we treat our maids shows how civilized we are

Stop burning the witches, burn our blueprints on their stakes
And use the second sex’ craft to bake a pink print for a change

Liner notes:

Girls in our scene are underrepresented, in both audiences and bands. When playing with (partly) female bands or in front of an equally mixed audience I often feel like addressing them. What always holds me back are other bands dedicating songs to girls, “This goes out to all the girls”, for all the wrong, sexist reasons. It would be cool if girls at shows were not only welcome for their looks, boyfriends or cooking skills, but also just for being there or for their music. I think a lot more girls would eventually join in. “From the back of the room” is a documentary about actively involved women in the punk/hardcore scene.
Girls and women in our society aren’t treated much better. There still is a lot of sexism, hidden or not. A very recent example is the scandal of Dominique Strauss Kahn raping a black maid and getting away with it. Not because he was innocent, but because the girl wasn’t “credible” enough.

To All Members of Parliament

In a world of shifting paradigms we can’t but do it together
Increasing international affairs, we’re all in this together

The map we use to see our world has expired long ago
Its architects don’t see the change, they never check below

It’s perspective, if anything, a different view in closeup
Locals have revamped the scenery, I hope the news catches on

I am a member of parliament
Representing all citizens
Not just one single nation but the whole fucking world
Let a new solidarity trickle up
You are a member of parliament
We all are members of parliament

Liner notes:

Your identity is constructed from several “sub-identities”. You are an inhabitant of your city, a child of your parents, a citizen of your nation and a member of a subculture among many other roles. The idea of nationality is forced upon us since the 19th century. And in today’s globalizing world I have a hard time identifying with fellow citizens of our nation alone. The more we get to travel around the world, the less I understand why we should adhere to our narrow minded nationality. Or to a European Union or other broader, but still exclusive groups. If anything, we are members of the nation of the world, of humanity. And as members of this international community we are all responsible for each other’s well being, each representing each other.

Future History

Class, please open your books on chapter 3
About a period in time not that unique
The best intentions unveiled by history
The past has been written, let’s try to read

Will you remember?
How we loved to play keep-away
Girls and gays were seen as a different race
Considering other races animals
Treating animals as bad as beasts

Will you remember?
That we forgot to put things in perspective
Future history, a past yet to come

Will you remember?
Progress was not us moving ahead
It only meant the rest was moving back
Having more future in front than past behind
What harms us most now never came to mind

Liner notes:

Only in hindsight do we know which periods in time were important and which ones weren’t. Only in hindsight do we know which issues really mattered and which ones really didn’t. Nonetheless, everyone thinks they live in the most influential era. Everything going on right here, right now is what seems to matter most. But 100 years from now there will be significantly less attention for immigration, (other) religions or local institutions like the European Union. The world is becoming one globalized place where all human and nonhuman variations manage to coexist. In the end our era will be just another chapter in history books. Including its own idiosyncrasies and anomalies like racism, sexism, homophobia and our lack of animal rights.

Bullies

“You stink, you are fat and you are ugly
What the hell are you wearing?”
Some examples from a bully’s menu
“Kids can be so cruel”

“You stink, you are fat and you are ugly
What the hell are you wearing?”
Random commercials on our TV
“You want to become cool?”

Everybody wants to be unique
But nobody wants to stand out
Sweaty, smelly, hairy, belly; not all dwarfs fit the fairy tale
Photoshop can save us all

Flash-forwards to a promising future
Give me flashbacks to a troubled past
Manipulated, objectified and brainwashed
Solutions to a problem we never addressed

Don’t believe them, the schoolyard bullies when you were young
Don’t believe them, the corporate bullies that tell you wrong
Don’t believe their fairy tales, “improving” who you are
Don’t buy what the bullies tell or sell you

Liner notes:

After writing these lyrics I came across a quote from Banksy about the subject. I couldn’t write better liner notes to this song than his comment on modern day advertising:
“People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you’re not sexy enough and all the fun is happening somewhere else.They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are “The Advertisers” and they are laughing at you.

Mother Inferior

Mother married the minister, she got divorced because of the abuse
Sold her body to the businessman, as before, the kids got bruised

Mother’s task, to look after us, disregarded by her taste in men
Best for all would be to stress: please, be a single mom again

We, the kids, file for divorce
We, the kids, had it with these conflicts of interest
Keep in mind the welfare of us all
Keep your eyes focused on the ball

Liner notes:

The separation of church and state has gained ground since the 19th century. Well, kind of. Governments are supposed to be autonomous in their actions, independent of whatever external institution and should only represent the people that give them sovereignty. However, since the 1990s governments seem to have lost their autonomy and have become more and more intertwined with and dependent of economic forces. No longer the church, nor The People are the ones pulling the strings. CEOs, lobbyists and the fear for economic despair seem to be in charge. Instead of becoming a modern, independent, single mom, our governments have sold themselves to the highest bidder, without taking their kids’ interest at heart.

Books

Dearly beloved, we’re gathered here today
To talk about a book we loved to death
Reflecting on the message of the pen
Its stories read over and over again

But this book is not just about somewhere else
Starring each and every single one of us
Pages filled with our own memories, masterplans
Never forgotten, no not ever and ever again

It’s up to us to write the sequel, It’s up to us to live unfinished stories
As we are the writers, the actors and the audience all in one

Sadly enough some books are no longer near
Before we finish them they seem to have disappeared
Or you find out they have an open end
When you turn the last page over and over again

It’s up to us to write the sequel, It’s up to us to live unfinished stories
The future is unwritten, let’s try to write
It’s up to us to write the sequel, It’s up to us to live unfinished stories
As we are the writers, the actors and the audience all in one

But as with everything, when books get older their pages crumble
Blank spots, dried out ink, when books get older they disassemble
But as with everything, when we get older we start to stumble
Blind eyes, dried out skin, what is left are the words and what we’ll remember

Liner notes:

When you share your life with your friends and family, you’re writing stories together with them. When one of those friends or family members dies or disappears from your life for other reasons, there is no other way than to continue and finish those stories on your own. Aren’t you curious how the stories continue?
In dedication to my father who passed away after years of suffering Alzheimer’s disease, and to others lost along the way.

Start from Scratch!

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EVERY CRISIS IS A MORAL CRISIS

Bring it on
Let’s start from scratch

We need a reality check
Armed with second opinions
Not afraid to use them
Now it’s time, time for plan B

My First Crisis
This is not a drill
Too true to be good
Think outside the box

Every crisis is a moral crisis
Now we can become what we want to be

The system broke
Repairing is not possible
Replacing the only option
Recycling what is useful

Now the dust has settled
It’s up to us
We want regime change

Liner notes:

We have reached another breaking point in history. The current financial crisis has made an enormous impact on so many people that it seems things are going to change. If things are going to change, we have to make sure they change for the better. Political and financial systems are extremely slow when it comes to change. People, on the other hand, can change their ideas and behavior overnight.
Whether a crisis is about the financial world, immigration, the role of the media and youth culture, how to treat whistle blowers, animals, political themes in general, or the upcoming influence of “new” powers like china and India; all crises should lead to an evaluation of how we deal with these topics in the future. What we think is right and wrong about it. What moral standards should apply for any of these topics. Every crisis is a moral crisis.
Now that the old balance is unstable it is time to tip it over and install a new balance. This is the time where people are up for trying new, better ideas. Now we can be the architects of our own world. For real change to occur, we need more than just a new messiah. We need people to believe in themselves and each (each!) other instead of a new president or a new financial system to improve the quality of life.
We should not be afraid to take a closer look at things when it gets hot under our feet. There is a lot to improve in the world. If we want this crisis, and more importantly the reaction to this crisis, to be fruitful, it is up to us to give directions. So bring on these crises and take those chances. Let’s start over, let’s start from scratch.

BUYER’S REMORSE *

Stop calling me sick!
This is not the disease I meant
Healthcare for all
This is not the cure I need
Swallow it whole
Who doesn’t want to become a doctor
I will tongue your pills
Don’t want to be a healthy consumer

Built to resist
Challenge everything
I can’t believe it’s not out yet, how come we buy it, time after time
Maybe we’re born with it, maybe it’s make-believe, I’m lovin’ it

I object, practically and principally
Supported by overpriced products and underpaid temp jobs
I hope our backs didn’t hurt your knives?

On your profit crusade
Selling the biggest dwarf alive
Despise the converted
Selling the smallest giant alive
Where is our money?
Bailing out the sinners
Where is our lobby?
What happened to our voice our vote

Where dreams begin
Let’s make things better
The best a man can get
Make the most of now
Impossible is nothing
Just do it, yes we can
Because you’re worth it
Be all you can be

Liner notes:

Have you ever regretted a purchase? Maybe you didn’t appreciate the quality of what you bought, or you were tricked into buying something you didn’t really need after all? The media (unconsciously) persuade us to become healthy consumers, maintaining a vibrant economy. But healthy for who and what? Us, or “the economy”? When you buy a product you support the company that produces it, its methods of production, its distribution and promotion. This support is not only financial support, but also moral approval. And not only for that one company: the whole process of commercial production, distribution and promotion exists because of our support. We keep them healthy, even though they like to make us believe it’s the other way around.
Are light cigarettes healthy? No, not smoking is better. Are “sales” good for your wallet? No, not buying stuff you don’t need is better. Are “sustainable products” good for the environment? No, not buying stuff you don’t need is still better.
Without our support as buyers and workers this process would not be able to persist. Would that be a revolution? Yes. Would that require revolutionary actions? Not really: just don’t buy things from companies or brands that you think don’t have the right policies when it comes to the environment, the treatment of workers or animals. Just think about what you buy, from whom. It will make a difference.

* Guest vocals by Heleen Tichelaar of Midnight Menace

THE HUNT IS ON!

The hunt is on! The gloves are off!
Another attempt to protect your own self interest
Another attempt to corrupt our moral principles
Denying rights to those who blow their whistle

Corruption, fraud and dirty linen
Whistle-blowers outlawed by established authorities
Losing the battle but hopefully winning the war

Sexual abuse among the abstinent
Selling us cigarettes for medicines
Price-fixing pushing the prices
Illegal weapon trade and export

Corporate, clerical and political arrogance
Exuberance, I hope it will fall
And push up those who have been pushed down before
Never asked for this role but they’ll play it

The church in all its manifestations
The political arena and all its participants
The corporate community and those who rule it
All scared to death their crooked secrets will come out

Liner notes:

This accusation is an ode to so called “bell-ringers” or “whistle-blowers”. People that without regards for their own benefit or well-being stand up to rectify hidden wrongs and abuses in society. Bell-ringers are characterized by the fact that because of their action in favor of a community or society, their own lives get ruined. The authority they stand up to tries to destroy the bell-ringers’ reputation, or even their complete lives. Usually bell-ringers signal wrongs among traditional authorities as governments, religious institutions or corporations. A recent example: The Dutch government used a bell-ringer called Ad Bos to testify against his old employer in the construction industry. After the won process the government didn’t take responsibility and refused to give him compensation for the obvious (financial) losses he had made during and after the process. Bos was forced to sell his house and start to live in a camper. At this moment court has ruled that the Dutch government has to pay him income and damage reimbursement. One down, so many to go.

AMERICA’S WORST ROLE MODEL

Why the hell should we follow you?
What kind of example is this?
America’s worst role model
Reconcile, “shock and awe”

Why the hell should we follow you?
For the example you set at home?
The government allows the industry
To tease us with what they forbid

Selling you sex when it’s oh so wrong
But having a gun is your right
A sweet and sour taste is all that’s left
Once you tasted forbidden fruit

Only god can judge you, you say
Only god can judge the USA and its policy
What do you think his verdict will be?
Is god still on your side?

But thank god I’m not religious
All these omens would be threatening me
Scared to death I’d reconsider
And regret that everything is a reaction

Two-faced ethics, fond of scandals and hypocrisy
Impose morality from above
Media bombing us with “wardrobe malfunctions” from below

Liner notes:

One of the few things the current and the former president of the USA have in common is their mission to maintain the USA as a “leading nation”. Setting the standards in the world, giving a good example. Too bad then, that they are not really a good example when it comes to morality on a national level. Past and current events like “nipple-gate”, hurricane Katrina, Medicare, and the double standard concerning sexuality show that copying the American morals worldwide will not install a better world. It’s hard to point out a popular American role model that I would want to see inspire the rest of the world. Paris Hilton, Dr. Phil, Martha Stewart, Jerry Springer, Tipper Gore, Tiger Woods, Joe the Plumber?
Being a role model is something you should earn, be appointed to. Not something you can enforce.

CUT THE GROUND FROM UNDER OUR FEET **

Nike commercials telling me that skateboarding is not a crime
Maybe not anymore since they bailed it out
From independent and resistant to contracts, million dollar cars
Upgrading culture, conformed to cruise on the main stream

Graffiti in the galleries, studded belts at the H&M
Tattoos on the playing field, counterculture fully enclosed

Upgrade underground culture if you cannot forbid their domain
Or push them out of the market. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em

They try to cut the ground from under our feet and steal our thunder
How are we supposed to dissociate us from them?
And resist against the mainstream if that mainstream keeps on chasing us
Before you know it, you will hear this, on your radio

Liner notes:

I wrote these lyrics inspired by the series of commercials Nike made for their “What if we treated all athletes the way we treat skateboarders” campaign (Youtube!) and the real life soaps around current skateboard superstars Bam Margera, Ryan Sheckler, Rob Dyrdek. These days, “extreme” sports like skateboarding and snowboarding are completely wrapped up by mainstream brands and media. This goes not only for underground sports, but also for more and more forms of underground cultures like punk and hardcore. When mainstream media and corporations see there is enough interest for these sports or cultures they will try to “upgrade” them and conform them into mainstream sports and cultures and accompanying commodities.
You can ask whether this is bad or good. Sure, the attention and appreciation is nice. But it also takes away all the edges and atypical aspects of these phenomenons. There is a reason why these sports and art forms find refuge in underground subcultures. They weren’t accepted or welcome in the mainstream. Now the edge has worn of, they are welcome to produce a nice profit and make a brand look young, fresh and hip.
As for skateboarding, there is a group of organizations called the “Don’t Do It Army” that tries to keep it an underground culture, away from mainstream media and commercialism. The Dutch brand Severe skate and snow gear is affiliated with the Don’t Do It Army. “Support your local skate shop!” But the mechanism works the other way around as well. When subcultures are unable to generate some extra money or simply resist to cooperate or fit in, mainstream media, companies and other institutions try to “downgrade” those subcultures so they can not be of any harm. The best example of this mechanism is the current anti-squatting law the dutch government is trying to implement in the constitution. Since squatting is a threat to the economy, healthy living conditions and simply stealing people’s property (not my words!) it should be forbidden. Since squatting is one of the most effective ways to create a fertile home for underground culture, affordable living and working space for students and artists and to recycle ugly empty office spaces (my words!) it is not a crime!

** Guest vocals by Chris Hannah of Propagandhi

“KRAKEN GAAT DOOR!”

The next casualty in line
The next threat rising from youth culture
Either disarmed or illegalized
Downgraded and removed

Squatting is not a crime
Squatting continues

The petty bourgeoisie at war with their own legacy
Defending speculation
Artists, students, bands like us
Culture in general, greatly indebted to squatting

A shelter
For what is valuable
For what is not for sale
For what has no commercial interest at all

Callousness, why should I care
I’ve got my house, I can drink my beer
Ignore its role in art and housing
Stress the conflicts and incidents

A place for those without one
A home for those without one
An outlet for those without one
No squatter is illegal

SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE MEAT-EATERS

“It’s dead already”
“As if you make a difference”
“You don’t know what you’re missing”
“It’s in our nature”

Inconsistency galore
Bullfights nay, slaughtering OK?
Double standards the norm
Fur pelts nay, leather jackets OK?

Let’s get this done
Take the next step, emancipate
Beware of sliding scales and slippery slopes
Pamela Anderson, Weird Al Yankovic, Hitler and Meatloaf can’t be wrong
Join the club, enter our sky box

Moral crusaders
Shout down to the plebs
A call to morality, the always effective
“It’s in your own best interest”

Somewhere halfway it’s me
Climbing the slope
Together with the rest of us
So far to go

Join the club

Liner notes:

This is an ode to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. This is not about vegetarians being “better” than meat-eaters or vegans being better than vegetarians. This is not meant to be another brick on the endless wall that some people build up in the annoying discussion between the pros and cons of using animal products. Making the choice to become vegetarian/vegan should be a personal choice, made by someone himself, coming from one’s own insights. But if someone makes that choice I think that is praiseworthy. A conscious choice to increase the quality of animals’ lives is a good choice. So are vegetarians/vegans better people than meat-eaters? No, but I do think they have made a better choice in their lives.

CHINESE TAKEOVER

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

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. 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, environmental disabuse.
On the other hand: there is so much more we can learn and take over from the east than just their takeaway. It is an opportunity for us to grow and learn as well.

OUR HEARTS

We are the poets who scream
Stumble and swear
We are the artists who paint
With black and gray

This is a personal fight, this fight is personal

We shut the fuck up
And let our actions speak
We cheat on life
With five finger discount

We embrace the night with adventure in our eyes
With fire in our hearts
Every silence that we break, every life that we reclaim

We seek for the beaches
Beneath the pavement*
We look for the forests
Behind the skyscrapers

Liner notes:

This is a personal fight. This is a personal song. Not one specific subject to find here, except for my personal interpretation of what I would call: resistance. My resistance against machines destroying what I love. My resistance against the people responsible for those machines.
Resistance doesn’t necessarily mean confrontation, barricades, molotovs and such and so on. Resistance is also the personal decisions I make in everyday life. It means to me creating a world that I find comfortable and worth living for. And this song is about those alternatives: the songs we love to hear, the poems we’re moved by, the paintings that express everything we can’t say in words, the food without chemicals… revolution of everyday life!

* “Beneath the paving stones, the beach!” – popular slogan by the French Situationists in 1968. Original: “Sous les paves, la plage”

Yvo (our former bass player) wrote this song when he was still in the band. He didn’t mind us playing and even recording the song for this new album.

THE NEW JEW

Forget about the fascists
Forget about the communists
We are in need of a new enemy
Thank god we found one, the new jew

Without “you” we don’t know who “we” are

We need a new enemy
To consolidate those divided
We need a new enemy
Create cohesion, one national family

We are fighting wars of fear
Terrorized by intimidation

Panic and fear spreading insecurity

Their uproar against us
A natural reaction
Could you swear to react different
Under the same circumstances?

Criminalized as threat
Generalized and forced to deviate
From our biases
Biased till proven otherwise

Liner notes:

The Netherlands used to be seen as a tolerant country. Some people and ideas that were unwelcome elsewhere found their home here. But lately things are changing. There is a tendency to put overboard our ideals of tolerance and even put them off as being politically correct or outdated. In stead current political hypes are inspired by nationalism, xenophobia and general intolerance towards anything that is not described as “Dutch”. There are mainly two politicians representing this tendency: Rita Verdonk and Geert Wilders. Both originated from a center right wing party (the VVD) growing more and more extreme populist ideas. What is happening in the Netherlands at this moment can in no way be compared to what happened in Nazi Germany in the thirties and forties, but the atrocities springing from that period could never have happened without the trends and conditions we’re facing again today. So be aware, be very aware.

CLASSIC THEMES NEVER GET OLD

You might think it is old fashioned
To preach about the bio industry

You might think it is not hip
To worry about nuclear waste

You might think it is politically correct
To fight discrimination

You might think it’s simply boring
To use words like capitalism

Old fashioned, not hip & politically correct
But in this changing world there are certain rights worth fighting for
Human, animal and environmental rights
Of all times, of all places, always of value

Anti-globalism, climate change
Making politics sexy again
It’s getting hot in here
Trim your sail to the wind of change

A weather beaten dusty squat our foundation
The maxims on its walls our inspiration

Liner notes:

Since 9/11 and “the crisis” in 2008-2009 it seems as if terrorism and the financial markets are the only two topics worth talking about. Even in the political/activist scene there are trends and hypes. Since the late nineties globalization is the number one theme to discuss and criticize. And even though it’s extremely important to stay in touch with current affairs, classic themes should never be overlooked. Besides that, they form the basis for current movements.
Animal and human rights, homophobia, environmental protection and economic problems among lower classes are subjects that have been around for ages. So they might not be very “sexy”. Yet, there is a reason they’ve been around for this long. They have proven to be important over time. This is a tribute to activism in the fields of Anti-fascist action, Gay-positive activism, Animal liberation, Environmental activism. Yes, Subjects in Capitals.

SO MUCH MORE ***

Patience, time to relax
This is what people do in their weekends
This is what some do for a hobby
A nice distraction to others

It certainly should not be
That forced family meeting
The same faces, talks and expectations
Even though it sometimes feels just like one

This is our life
We put our hearts and heads into
My brain, my hands, want to be inspired

We are not in it for the back stage beer
Not for the girls
We are not in it for the after-party
Or the big pay-check at the end of every month

Fuck the reunions, fuck the macho competition
Fuck the hypes, if I can’t revolt, it’s not my party

This is our life
We prefer it meaningful
Not our safe haven

Liner notes:

To me, punkrock is so much more than just music, a part time hobby or a group of friends enjoying the same drinking music. Punkrock has, over the years, literally become a way of living. It has increased my interest in politics and activism and broadened my view on a lot of topics. I love it when I see a band with urge and drive to play music and spread a message they believe in. This is inspiration to make music myself, to keep on writing lyrics, to stay active. All this makes me want to put in my whole heart and head into this band, music and scene.

*** Guest vocals by Heleen Tichelaar of Midnight Menace

Testimony

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Testimony

We are at the end of the vacuum
We are back at ideology and clash
Lead by a mentality of polarity
Even innocent bystanders plead against you

This is what you get
When priorities are misplaced
When yours is the only way
When you polarize our world
We are all the witnesses and we will testify against you

But you have captured us in your wars, hoping the witnesses won’t be heard
Suburban Europe in flames, a loss of trust in national policy
Outsourcing western torture, with a world of wars as the result

What is your next alibi?
Is this business as usual?
This is for all of us on the losing end

We won’t swallow this, any longer
We will testify, to your abuse

Commerce sponsoring our lives
Providing fire to immoral friends
Wasting food while we can feed ourselves with waste
We wave away our better halves
Blame it on the dog once more
Shaving off for fitting in
Because nobody can rebel on his own
So much hope can spring from just one letter

But we are forced to choose sides
Doubt is just a loss (of money and time)

Sponsorship for life

Never shop when you are hungry
Because our needs are being created
While we have far more than enough
And needs are overabundant elsewhere

This spam we have grown accustomed to
The appearance of our public space
Of course all designed in line with
Corporate fashion and etiquette

Advertisement space for sale
No we won’t sell you our lives

Shouldn’t we get paid for being billboards?
For all these clandestine advertisements
In stead of spending all our so beloved money
On their logos brands and trademarks

Advertisement space for sale
Hell no we won’t sell you our lives
Others are selling territory that is ours
And there is no space left for us

Hell no we won’t sell you our lives
There will be no space left for us
The hole in our pocket
Is the hole in your market

Waves

I take quick look around me and see reasons enough to change the way things are
In relationships, on the work floor, in our interactions
I realize there is so much for us to do!

I take long look at myself and I get scared of the reflection
Of the patriarchal scars in my behavior
I realize women’s oppression under male domination
Rarely, if ever consists solely in depriving women of political and legal “rights”

But also extends into the structure of our society
And into the content of our culture
And permeates our consciousness

Her knowledge, her talents are overshadowed, his are overrated

Friendly fire

Bodies slashed apart, into pieces
Houses bombed away
Your own citizens executed
But it is your policy you say

Incidents that you deny
Coincidences you claim
Are those your standards; are those your values?
The chase was so much better than the catch
Now who is next to blame?

This anarchy that you have installed
Is not the type we recommended
What is your status symbol now?
A beheaded embodiment of western arrogance

At least you have got us on your side
Euthanasia, abortion, Dutch gay-pride
But for once you will allow it
European decadence next time a reason to conquest us too?

So where is your status symbol now?

I hate myself when I shave myself

This one is about us all
This scene that we are so immensely proud of
So independent, original and unique
Welcome everyone, happy birthday

But how come the girls cook, the guys mosh
Arrogance bliss
Everyone comes across the same
And everyone knows everyone by name

This is a scene just like any other
Dress-to-oppress-fashism, your words, your actions opposites
Beauty fool, do believe the hype
Copy/paste mentality, style or a lack of originality?

Shave off the standing out straggly hair
Shave on the attitude you don’t care
Hail to our fraternity, hail unity
You passed our hazing, now pledge dedication

But I know
Nobody really can escape
At least my social allergy
Reminds me of my aversion to participate

And we are all to blame, true D.I.Y. shouldn’t require any scene
The margin is where it is at, but for now we are trapped in this one-dimensional net

The dog ate it

Unfortunately this life is not meant
To be lived all by myself
The strings attached, supposed to help, are only holding me back
You won’t get the best of me

You talk too much
You say you want to get the best out of others
You say you taught me a lesson in life
A lesson in life, I should be grateful
At least now I know how not to handle things

It would be so much better
Not to make a promise
You might keep in the end
Then to break one

There is only one thing that is worse than doing nothing
That is doing nothing when you are promising the world

Maybes meaning no
If you want things done right
Do It Yourself!

Benefit of the Doubt

Charisma, commitment, conviction
Have brought us nothing else but
Conflict, combat, confrontation
And know-it-alls

An ode to insecurity
Here to make way for
The uncomfortable sense of
Having nothing to say

Not having made up
Your mind right away
Don’t let diffidence
Be a weakness, keep on questioning why

Mirror moments
Benefit of the doubt
Being open-minded
Self-reflection
Distrust anyone telling you a truth

The right questions outweigh wrong answers
“Generation X” has become “Generation Why”

I don’t claim to have any answers
I just know that yours are no good
Your social insecurity
Is probably just as big as mine

Mirror moments
Benefit of the doubt
Being open-minded
Self-reflection
Socrates always was right

On its own

This song means as much
As every stone that is thrown
As every book that is written and read
As every martyr that is dead and gone

This song means as little as every battle fought and lost
As every compromise and sin
As every lie we used to believe in, it all means nothing on its own
This struggle needs its thinkers, its doers, its dreamers
This song means nothing on its own

Waste = Food

Five minutes to midnight
Back on popular demand
After years of absence we are being presented
Everything we throw away
We get thrown right back at us
“An inconvenient truth”

You want the truth?
You cannot handle the truth
Do we want the truth?
We cannot handle this recent revenge of the truth

Doing nothing is not a strategy
The production of waste should be
Converted into prevention
A new Industrial Revolution
With a little more respect for formerly exploited sources
Cause when we reach the point of no return
Waste = food

It is possible
It is being done
It might take a little time
And a bit of our funds

I hope you got my letter

A free spirit driven into daily routine, institutions

Where public vengeance is administered
And hope is crushed by concrete corners

Life after life is wasted away
Never having any chance again
This is not a solution
It is in no-one’s interest to
suffer

In this lie, solidly implanted and cleverly disguised
As the “free and civilized society”

This is organized crime
21st century slavery

I hope you got my letter
I hope you get a million more

Let them not go unnoticed
Let them know they are not alone
I hope you got my letter
This is organized crime

Silencing Civilization

Skip to: Perspectives & Objectives | Start from Scratch! | Testimony | Silencing Civilization

1. no human is illegal

separations are made in the benefit of their economical efforts
lines invented to profit elites and behold their comfort
border your wealth with these fences and keep it for yourself
while other humans are starving on the other side

these borders create hatred tear the fences down
these borders create greed tear the fences down
these borders create separations tear the fences down

build the walls that protect you from begging hands and hungry eyes
the value of life depends on where one lives and dies
stick up your collar your head in your ass because
other humans are starving on the other side

is the value of a human life dependent on where he or she lives and dies

 

2. raisedfistfuckyou

a lack of acceptance
and afraid of what is unknown
or are you scared to lose track
of your age-old and well-respected tradition

shove your tradition up your ass
and i hope you like it
fuck your homophobia
it is about time to accept it

it is time to wipe out the lines you have drawn
we don’t need it anyway
why should there be boundaries to love
we don’t need it anyway

there is no room for me
and so many more with me
in a macho culture
where the point is clear about sexuality

why is it so difficult
to express yourself
is it not normal
emotion is reason enough

raisedfistfuckyou

let everyone feel and save your attitude
we don’t need it anyway
why should there be boundaries to love
we don’t need it anyway

 

3. another guide (to comprehensive capitalism)

step 1 subsidize education
step 2 ordain the people’s fashion
step 3 distribute communication
and you are on the stairway to social control and possession

don’t try to hide behind the lies you spread
selling the truth equals telling the truth to you
there is only truth when there is authority
now you bought us you can make your values our norms

‘produce what you can and consume in so far you need’
marx might be outdated but we still resist your greed
the summer of ’68 3 different time same foe to beat
‘provoke what you can and conform in so far you need’

 

4. because we can (and we should)

our tourist shades
show us a dark view
a view of a world that needs our help
instead of our so-called ‘development’

take off those shades
and see that there is a chance
once they have something to lose
something that they want to live for

we can not afford it
but we can avoid it

our economy objects
we cannot afford their development
well neither can we afford to
fail our moral responsibility

because we can and we should

 

5. bad company (no globalization without representation)

every morning i read your paper
every morning i read how you take over this world
growth for the cause of growth
a cancer cell’s ideology

our voice has been reduced
to our expenses
spending money we don’t have
consuming things we don’t need

while buying governments you are selling human rights
you are buying politicians and selling the poor a one-win situation
making profit enough is just too modest
but more is better and too much just might do

remember company had a different meaning?
something like friendship and sharing community
i guess your company allow me to call it a concern
really means worry a spreading anxiety

these crimes in the name of welfare
making money is taking money from those who need it even more
these crimes in the name of welfare
no ‘just do it’ do it just

isolating yourself from society into which you break
our social capital sponsored by industry and trade
in a world where virtue sounds so much like failure
dollar sins for dollar cents paying off your guilt

no globalization without representation

 

6. yes, i truly am naïve

yesterday i fantasized again about how we could live
without oppression laws or competition
where nobody is the same and everyone is equal

people help each other out of solidarity
compassion is a reason not to hurt your fellow (wo)man
not a law which tells you what you can not do
but talk with each other make your own agreement

this world seems so far and i am afraid i will never see it in practice

it is sad but true and no reason
to stop fighting for my naïve ideals
for a world that never comes
against an empire that never falls

for the simple fact that i am a slave to my frustrating feelings aching conscience
and the personal promise not to participate in a society i fucking hate

 

7. hero

celebrated hero without account
defines their wrongs from his rights
his name a selling brand or abused to unite
his worshippers following blind
despised by some only eulogized by few
respected by so many he founds yet another truth
no confrontation to fear him
his drive the taste of fame

but still that makes you no hero
that does not make you a hero at all

the anonymous hero without a name
you are so far away from the frontline
the army of the unknown among us all
the hero performing off the streets

driven by inner motivation your love for what is right
your guts effects the truly local no fear for a fight

but how will they ever know …

 

8. originator

the masses attempt to escape the consequences of an upcoming disaster
by attaching these consequences to those who appear as the prophets

the courier of bad news risks his own life
the bearer of a dreadful message is often seen as originator

marginalize these people
as naive and fragile kids
revolutionary thoughts are not accepted
since they question the usual behavior
be it the ngo’s
be it the activists
be it the communes the hippies
be it the anarchists

this creates the basis for a tendency to differentiate
distress-signals are taken as intolerable habits
of those who try to beat the alarm
even though they do not cause this harm

 

9. sound silence

i hear you live your life at night
no tomorrow within sight
one night stands and selfish friends
supported by beer booze and boys

it is just one of those nights when you don’t want to stay up
can’t believe i am watching dawson’s again
your last reminders inspiring me your last remainders burnt
can’t believe i am watching dawson’s again

but you can not write ‘home’ without writing ‘me’
and you won’t become my definition of home
the closer you came the further out of reach you got
the more sound the silence became

i haven’t drank since i quit sleeping i haven’t eaten since i swallowed your shit
not needing anybody i’m afraid i’m just needing yours
i hope he knows what he has got because i sure know what i have not

what’s with this silence how could i’ve missed its message
the phone that doesn’t ring the feedback that doesn’t sing
screaming to me at my face in my ear i should have known better

 

10. no government needed

1000s of people on the streets
and nobody seems to listen
you have pushed another law through
where nobody is
waiting for

there was never honesty
there was never any chance
any chance just to say
what we wanted

give the people
a little bit of
of what they are longing for
and tell them to shut up again

and every government
and politician
wants the same in the end
in the end there is nothing left for us

we can think for ourselves
fuck off and stay away
no government is needed
you do more damage than you do good