When I started running Feedback in 1990 I soon found myself deep in the underground, not only in the prog scene but investigating metal and many other styles of music where people were just not getting the publicity they deserved. I was also soon writing for the wonderful Rock ‘n’ Reel and somewhere along the line I came across Kent Nielsen and his amazing label, Tunes With A Heart (TWAH!). I reviewed various of his own bands at the time, but somehow we lost touch over the years, only finding ourselves again recently, when Kent asked if I would like to review his latest album, ‘Seconds of Our Lives’. Kent is a Dane living in Germany who first made a name for himself singing in the Danish hardcore band L.U.L.L. (Leben Und Leben Lassen) getting involved with the punk scene before moving into roots and here he brings it all together in an album which in many ways should never work, but it definitely does.

As one can tell from the name of the band this is not a full on electric blast, but instead we have Kent Nielsen (lead vocals, harmony vocals, percussion, ukulele, banjolele, tenor guitar, kazobo) and Torsten “Totti” Scharfenberg (backing vocals, mandolin, ukulele, mandola, bass, harmonica, piano) taking on a series of covers and turning them into something quite different while always retaining the edge and passion of the original. I must confess and say their take on “Generals” (The Damned) is nothing short of inspired, and alongside “Town Called Malice” (The Jam) are versions which I actually prefer to the originals. It is hard to go wrong when there are two musicians who are obviously having as much fun as these, being deadly serious but refusing to take themselves seriously at the same time. Here we have two roots musicians taking their love of punk and combining the two forms together quite brilliantly as they work through songs by the likes of Big Country, Sisters of Mercy, The Pogues, Joe Strummer, Joy Division, TV Smith and many more. They are taking the punk ideal of refusing to conform to expectations and twisting it on its head as they turn the guitar-led monsters into something very different indeed. For fans of either styles of music, here we have alt folk turning punk into a new artform.

Rating: 8/10

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/kentnielsenofficial
http://vikingwreckchords.de/