This week’s track of the week is off The Slashdogs recently released album, Progress Through Plunder. Voters Roll, the latest single off the album, hits the ‘topical’ bullseye (or should we say marks the spot) with elections day beckoning and the launch of Progress Through Plunder less than two weeks ago.
Voters Roll reveals an honest shift or maturation from the shock and horror rockabilly Slashdogs of the past. The content, both in this song and across the album, expresses a very South African anti-establishment viewpoint, with references to a variety of actual issues in the local socio-political sphere. It is great to see the punk movement expressed in a very localised manner – in fact, the proliferation of any indigenous ideologies or sounds through the art of music is what excites The Fuss most.
Whilst Progress Through Plunder represents a progression in the lyrical matter of the band, an exploratory embracing of local sounds is also apparent. This experimental nature is succintly displayed in the various sound references in Voters Roll. The track starts as a simmering acoustic protest folk song tapered with divine motownesque whoops, culminating into a punk rock cry filled with the characteristic distorted guitar riff, D-Beat and chants – except where one would expect football like chants, the final chorus is sung in isiXhosa in a gospel choir-like style. They collaborated with acoustic soul/spoken word group, Tralleving Black to create Voters Roll.
“There are some of the most deeply revealing and autobiographical moments from Ryan [Slashdogs vocalist] that will cut you like no other band will. So many bands rely on over hashed, ‘bluesy’ imagery, or just have nothing to say and spout C+ crap that’s just there to float over the music. SlashDogs don’t do that, and never will.”
We really enjoy innovation in music and Progress Through Plunder presents a step towards pastures new in the output of the punk movement and local music in general.
