Viagra Boys: Welfare Jazz

photo: Fredrik Bengtsson

Taking the piss about Alpha male posturing by means of punk, noise and free jazz is the main theme on Welfare Jazz, the new album by Stockholm based band Viagra Boys. It is not that easy to mix satire and music, but they pull it off with flying colours. Singer Sebastian Murphy has a way with words, loading his lyrics with double meanings and puns with full-throttle bangers like Ain't Nice and I Feel Alive.

Imagine the Stooges in their Raw Power phase having a ball with The Birthday Party and De Staat, with Tom Waits smiling in the background. Monolithic dance grooves clash with a prog rock flute solo or a screaming saxophone. But when all is said done they just want to settle down in the country with a nice lady. No wonder that they end the album with a cover of theJohn Prine classic In Spite of Ourselves, with Amy Taylor handling the part of Iris DeMent.

Welfare Jazz is released via YearOO01 (vinyl, CD, digital). Buy it from their website.

Tracks:

1. Ain't Nice
2. Cold Play
3. Toad
4. This Old Dog
5. Into The Sun
6. Creatures
7. 6 Shooter
8. Best In Show II
9. Secret Canine Agent
10. I Feel Alive
11. Girls & Boys
12. To The Country
13. In Spite of Ourselves

>

» vboysstockholm.com