Nimbus Cart – Privilege
I’ve seen how the whole thing works. There’s a growing trend in mainstream media to mock good intentions. There’s an attempt to make any movement designed to, potentially, improve society look like the work of sycophants, populists and the clinically insane. And, once they’re done doing this, the next time they actually mention people doing something for positive change, they can do it mockingly.
The idea of taking a good look at your good luck, of, for lack of a better term, checking your privilege was first seriously mentioned in serious papers and websites. But, I reckon, it was purposely associated with untrustworthy characters to the point where it was made to be ridiculous. Punk rock is claiming the idea back, and Belgium’s Numbus Cart is ready to do the heavy-lifting.
The single “Privilege” sounds tense and confrontational. It sounds like the work of a band that has the strength to get up on stage and, if need be, fight off an unfriendly audience with its sound.
However, it’s the song’s message, its slogans that are the most important. “Privilege” is not preachy, but rather an invitation to remind yourself just how good your life might be, and take a peek at all the people who’ve never had your opportunities.
It may sound old-fashioned, but maybe it’s time for punk to be empathetic again. Nimbus Cart is happy to join the charge.
Jacob The Horse – Tympanis
It’s amazing how much money people are willing to pay someone to help them forget. Essentially, most modern therapy is a prolongued lotus eating ceremony where people talk about what bothers them in the hope that, one day, they won’t have to start thinking about it ever again. Imagine a thing like that! All that misery is going to waste and spending money to do it, too.
I suppose that it’s true that some people just don’t have a clear strategy of how to use life’s cruel, often hilarious, trick shots. Maybe it’s true that some people just don’t have some great work that they need to pour all that trouble into, no reason to acquire more energy than the one needed to get in and out of the grocery store. On the other hand, once in a while, you witness something like Jacob The Horse’s music, and you wonder how it could run on anything other than painful memories.
“Tympanis” is a sophisticated piece of aggressive punk music. The music moves straight like a one-way street that leads all the way up to the gallows, while the vocals, the highlight of the piece, ramble like a speed freak about past love affairs and beachside affairs. It all feels like the work of people whipping themselves over the back with bitter memories. But it all comes together! Stick around, and there’s a magic spell that the words and the music do conjure, and you’ll want to be seated next to the exits once it all starts to work.
