From the ‘Horn ur Marken’ Press Release
It has been a few years since The Janitors’ previous release, the fantastic ‘Evil Doings of an Evil Kind‘ EP, in which they set out what now seems to be a prophetic need to fight the rise of the right in Europe. This follow up album very much continues where ‘Evil Doings…’ left off with a full broadside at the hypocrisy of the establishment and the continued darkness that seems to be descending on what we tend to call ‘the West’.
According to Henric of the band:
“Horn ur Marken pretty much continues where we left with Evil doings, with the world in the ever declining state it was impossible not to touch these subjects. We are not a lyric driven band, the vocals are often covered in echo and effects and are meant to leave a lot to the listener to interpret for themselves. So I guess it’s conceptual in the way that each song deals with topics that feels relevant to us at this point in time. From the growth of the right wing, to the atrocities happening in the Mediterranean, to the media’s role in all of this, capitalism and being blinded by the lights and also about giving up.”
If my Swedish translation of ‘Horn ur Marken’ is correct it means ‘Horns Out Of The Ground’ which to me is a return to the ‘evil’ theme of the previous release, but perhaps also a call to arms to all of us who have our heads stuck in the sand to look up and see what’s going on around us and engage with it. It’s time to lock horns with the political, economic and religious ‘satans’ of the world and make a difference!
This is not an album about easy answers though, its about difficult times where there are no easy answers. It’s about getting down and getting dirty, which is where the band’s idea of ‘Stökpsych’ comes in. Henric again:
“Stökpsych was coined by Johan, a good friend of ours, to describe a night out and our music at the same time. Stök would roughly translate to something like messy, gritty and banging your head against the wall at 4.30 in the morning after a bender.”
This concept helps me to marry The Janitors sound, which I’ve always found difficult to describe, with the band’s philosophy. There are all sorts of influences subsumed into the band’s music, but none that you would say were dominant. The band apparently refer to their sound as ‘evil shoegaze boogie woogie’ which is as effective as anything I could think of. Speaking about these descriptions, Henric continues: “…both are more like stupid catchphrases to describe something that is really hard to put to words. Also in all honesty it gives a little light into the fact that we are not all sullen moody nihilistic Swedes with anger issues. We have a lighter side as well. Its just damn hard to let that side out in these times.” That’s good to know because the first thing that struck me in listening to this album is just how dark and claustrophobic it really is, even in comparison to their previous work. But, I guess taking up Henric’s explanation, while this is an album that has a very serious side to it, it is also an album to really enjoy and, in places if you’re so inclined, even dance to (if you dance as weirdly as I do that is). This is certainly the case for opening track ‘Trojan Ghost’, which is being premiered here. I think its fair to say that this hits you like a battering ram from the start. You get that sense of immediacy straight away. This is a track that sounds like The Janitors we know from previous releases. Indeed while that signature sound is still there, there is somehow an extra punch to it. I asked Henric why the band had chosen this track to release first: “‘Trojan Ghost’ we think is a good representation of the new album. Also it’s about the closest thing we’ve written that resembles a pop song in a long time. So guessing that we hope to lure some unknowing poor bastards into our sound world and hopefully get them to stay.” This leads straight into ‘Horn ur Marken’ which, by virtue of it being the title track I would guess, is key to the album…the actual call to arms itself perhaps. It is slower than much of the rest of the album and has a sinister thread running through it that can make you shiver if you catch it right. As the track progresses you also get a sense of descending, of going somewhere dark. The horns are out of the ground, we can see the spikes now…so no more excuses. After that ‘Neon Times’ seems very much to be ‘Stökpsych’ as the band describe it. The screeching and treated guitars over a hypnotic beat really get into your psyche which, when the track comes back after a long bridge, it does so in a way that is almost anthemic. For me it’s the track I have most found in my head during the last week. ‘Blizzard’ really ups the pace with its fuzzed-up guitar giving the listener a sense of disconnection and disorientation followed by a long break which builds into a fine climax. I can imagine this track being an absolute scorcher when played live, and I hope there will be an opportunity to witness this before too long. ‘Into The Woods’ is probably my favourite track on the album at the moment. I love the palpable darkness to it and totally see the track in the album cover, brilliantly designed by Karolina Hedström. It’s about going into that darkness and facing the possibility of succumbing to it. So for me this is about taking risks in order to prevail. The slow/ fast, light/ heavy nature of the track adds to the dichotomies at the centre of it. Somehow contrasting the existential fight going on here with the siren call of the media that invites us in.
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‘Horn ur Marken’ is available to pre-order from 20th March 2017 on Cardinal Fuzz (Europe) and Sky Lantern Records (North America).
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