Vulkano – ‘Live Wild Die Free’ album review: a whole lot of screaming
Vulkano, the Swedish post-punk duo, are taking no prisoners with their high-energy debut album, Live Wild Die Free. This tireless twosome are bringing us the shouty singing and mischievous party punk tracks that aren’t just requesting your attention but demanding it. It’s a little bit riot grrrl, a little bit pop, and a whole lot of screaming attitude.
They literally howl you into their first single, ‘Choir of Wolves’, before an intro of synth and fiery bass ensues. To be honest, it’s a kind of daft and quirky but massively enjoyable. They have claimed “we want people to let the animal out a little more often” and they truly practice what they preach in their live music video for the track, filmed from London’s Sebright Arms.
Lead vocalist and drummer Cissi Efraimsson, emphatically bangs the drums, wailing into the audience whilst her accomplice, Lisa Pyk-Wirström, head bangs her way through the song as she plays the keys. It’s difficult to frown upon this kind of high-octane performance. It feels like a ‘can’t beat ’em, join ’em’ situation. Just go with it, because, at its core, it’s supposed to be fun.
Anyone can see they have gone into this with a hell of a lot of enthusiasm and belief in what they are selling. These women are shameless show-offs with the attitudes of attention-seeking, rebellious teenage girls, but why the fuck shouldn’t they be?
They have the kind of arrogance, aggression and self-belief that their male counterparts have been banking on for decades, and that’s probably just the type of feminist, fuck-the-system type of thing they want me to say. What can I tell you? I’m a sucker.
When Vulkano get it right, they really get it right. Tracks like ‘Choir of Wolves’ and ‘Vision Tricks’ are the proof of their skill, imagination and talent. But they can also get to that line where the song ventures into angry noise and runs full-speed past it. I would offer suggestions that they might occasionally rein it in, just a bit.
Songs like ‘Too Young To Die’ and ‘Physco Girl’ tend to tumble into a drumming and screeching chaos that would benefit from some refinery, but I don’t think ‘refined’ is a word in their vocabulary. Live Wild Die Free is an all-or-nothing, caution-to-the-wind sort of album and sometimes that will do nicely. Please, proceed to thrash around in your bedroom as you give it a listen.
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