No Se - Ręce Na Kratach (Jamendo)

In a similar fashion to the last EP I reviewed, the second this album kicked in I knew it was a winner. However, I didn't realise until I got to pretty near the end just how amazing this band have become. You may remember I reviewed this band's previous album Rabies a couple of reviews ago, well after informing the band about the review they told me that they had just released this album (about two weeks prior to the Rabies review). Given that Rabies was a couple of years old, I reviewed it simply because I found it and loved it. This is new, so far more relevant, and I also love it.

This is angry, fast Polish hardcore punk and, thanks to the guitarist in my band who is also Polish, I know what the songs are about. I loved this album anyway, but the content makes it so much more interesting even if you don't understand Polish.

The songs vary in length from under a minute to their longest song to-date at well beyond four and a half minutes. In simply finding the correct words to use I have listened to this album twice. The riffs are tight and fast, and unlike most of the last album, the band isn't as concerned with always condensing their anger into less than two minutes. There's a little more room to breathe and the album benefits from this. There's more room for the lead and rhythm section to flex their muscles and there's solos (nothing too fancy) and breathing space between verses. The main difference, and it is immediate upon listening to this, is that the recording quality and the overall sound of the record is drastically better than their previous three albums. Rabies was recorded in their practice space, and I think if this was then I'm even more impressed.

The album name and title-track is translated as Hands on the Bars' and refers to prison bars, and has by far the most spine-shivering use of gang vocals I have heard in a long time during the last minute of the song. Once arrested, so goes my interpretation, you'll be beaten and found guilty (whether you are or not) and all that will be remembered are your hands on the Prison cell bars.

Other lyrical themes include a friend ratting you out to the cops ('Szambo' - or 'Cesspool'), history repeating itself in the usual, awful manner ('Zabawy z historia' - or 'Playing With History'), a general lack of civil liberties for minority groups ('Frustrator') and a basic distaste for the status quo where they are from. There's a lot more about the police and police brutality in the mix too. Basically, it's a lot of anger condensed into twenty minutes.

I could probably say something more about why this album is essential but I think you get the idea. This is top notch free music right here.

Download 'Rece Na Kratach'