KatJonBand
Free speechin'
Living in a free-speech’d country gives the chance for just about anyone with an opinion to express it with full liberty of voice and content. So, of course, you get the more teeth-grinding emblems of such a right, like U.S. immigration judge John H. Wilsons’ Hot House Flowers, an illustrated children’s book in which dandelions arrive uninvited in a greenhouse, and proceed to seed and invade the area, causing the demure and tolerant hot house flowers to wilt and suffer under the overwhelming presence of these unwanted arrivals. Yeah, it’s an allegory for illegal immigration; guess it’s important for the kids to understand what is responsible for rending the fabric of modern society.
But as infuriating as that can kind of stuff can be, there’s always the other side of the spectrum of free speech as well, in which KatJonBand can find a cozy place to thrive in. KatJonBand, in fact, is constituted of Kat Ex from prolific Dutch punk outfit The Ex, and Jon Langford from the British punk-rocking The Mekons, coming together for a politically-charged album of which Bad Apples is a fitting representation. Harkening back to militant, socially conscious anthems à la Joan Baez, Kat Ex’s incensed, rumbling vocals are both melodious and onerous, cooly delivering the song’s passionate message with level-headed composure. The voicework is indeed key to this drums-and-guitar duo, who opt for a more bare bones approach stylistically, yet keeping a flaming spiritedness which ignites the song with disquieting power, like a sublimated outrage, choosing its moment to erupt.
www.carrottoprecords.com/artists/katjonband
myspace.com/katjonband
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