This was sadly A Frames’ last record, but they went out with a bang. This was the first A Frames record I got into. It received some critical acclaim when it was released and on first listen it did not disappoint–its arty noise punk and if you’re inclined to that sound this will check all the boxes. As compared to their prior records, the band adds a number of new textures, with touches of electronic textures and, of all things, an almost ballad, without losing the stark, dystopian hallmarks of their sound.
But below the surface they also deepen their general thesis about modern society, producing what amounts to a song cycle around Nazi Germany and the holocaust, the art punk answer to In the Aeroplane Over the Sea or perhaps Gravity’s Rainbow. The often allusive lyrics paint a bleak vision of society following industrialized fascism that have even more power 15 years (one right wing populist, and one global pandemic) later…
No people, no trucks, no cars
No movies, no TV stars
Humanity is erased
Black forest left in its place
No burgers, no sports, no jokes
Civilization was a hoax
Fire smoldering, ash and death
Black forest, the after-breath
No churches, no garbage cans
No punk, no garage bands
No organism left to grow
Black forest and fallout snow
We can’t say we were not warned…best recollection is this one is from Academy Records.
Life During Quarantime 