AC4 - AC4 (2010)

1. Detonate
2. Where Are The Kids
3. I Wanna Go
4. The Same Fight
5. Assassination
6. Fuck The Pigs
7. I Can Do It
8. Won't Bow Down
9. It Catches Up
10. My Condition
11. Pigs Lose
12. It's Over In A Second
13. Let's Go To War
14. Coptown
15. This Is It

Let's make something clear from the get go: I don't like Refused. I don't get them, and I don't like them. Maybe I'll go through a penny drop moment, like I did with Led Zeppelin, 'tallica and Pink Floyd, but probably not. I have a feeling that I'll never like Refused.

However AC4, with half their members from Refused, I do like. Many fob them off as generic hardcore punk and, I wouldn't say this is an unfair criticism, but most people miss the most important thing here: they're damn good at writing a fun record. When did you last listen to a hardcore record that was just trying to be fun instead of make a point, or tell you to be edge, or to save the animals, or that your neighbors a cunt and you should batter them? And without answering that question, when did you last listen to a hardcore record that was just fun?

See, AC4 don't push the boat out. The longest song on this record is 1:53 (the whole record actually amounts to about 20mins). There's no breakdowns, or crazy guitar solos or bits where the music all drops out and the vocalist gives a monologue about the state of the world today and how it is doomed. I mean, maybe AC4 do have some important meaning to share, but so fuck? This is a party record. Hardcore by numbers, done bloody well and hella fun.

I was fortunate to support these guys when they did their first UK tour and dear Christ they're energetic. Dennis was twice my age and yet performed all sorts of jumps and flips and whatnot, they kept the whole room bouncing.

Or at least they would've, except it was full of cunts expecting a Refused cover or two.