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Product Description
Review
One of the premier exponents of 'antifolk' an urban folk subgenre popular in the cafes, clubs and open mic nights of New York City, singer-songwriter and sometime comic book artist Jeffrey Lewis combines the trappings of folk - acoustic guitar, violin, and a propensity for tale-telling - with a brainy, pop-cultural knowingness. 12 Crass Songs, accordingly, seems at first something of an intellectual exercise - a dozen cover songs of Crass, the black-clad DIY punk revolutionaries that preached a doctrine of 'anarchy and peace' from their converted farmhouse on the lip of Epping Forest until their eventual dissolution in 1984.
But if this project had the distinct possibility of coming off like square pegs forced into round holes, it's pleasing to report that Lewis' tender, halting treatments seem to somehow unlock something new in the songs - a sense of humanity hidden under the spittle, anger and rage. Crass' "Punk Is Dead" attacked punk bands selling out to the major labels, but in Lewis' hands, it's a warning to anyone seeking to put a rock star on a pedestal: 'I'm tired of staring through shit-stained glass/I'm tired of staring up a superstar's ass', he sings, atop finger-picked guitar and a wonky piano elegy.
"Do They Owe Us A Living", finds Lewis fleshing out his sound, a galloping hoe-down that rattles along on trap snare and sing-along vocals. And there is one track chucked in that rocks as hard as the original in the shape of "Big A Little A", a crashing guitar tantrum that preaches personal freedom against the grim backdrop of the atom bomb. Revolutionary doctrine presented as tremulous acoustic folk: it shouldn't work, really. But on 12 Crass Songs, Jeffrey Lewis has paid a worthy tribute to one of the few punk bands that really meant what they sang. That he's also made his best album to date makes the achievement even greater. --Louis Pattison
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I would not have thought it could be done.
I am partial to a bit of Crass, but, have to be in the right mood. A lot of what they said is spot on, and surprisingly much is still relevant today, almost 30 years on.
That said, the music, veering from art-punk/post punk to staright ahead noise punk, unlike their more commercial counterparts, the melodies are not that obvious.
Cue Jeffrey Lewis, who does the almost impossible, transforming the originals into indiepop/anti-folk songs, while staying more or less true to the originals. Seeing him do these live this week was absolutely awesome...some done with just voice, piano & guitar.
Even the quietest ones still evoke the anger of the originals, but, in more subtle way...as Matt Hayes (of Sarah records) once said 'you can be angry/left wing and quiet at the same time'), my words, as I cannot remember the oringinal quote word for word.
This album is a must for any Jeffrey Lewis fan (go see him do it live as well - your ears will love you forever). It may also appeal to fans of early Belle & Sebastian. As for old punks, some will baulk at the interpretations, although, some will like them...
I will warn you now, that some who like this album, then go to check out the originals are in for a bit of a shock...
I am partial to a bit of Crass, but, have to be in the right mood. A lot of what they said is spot on, and surprisingly much is still relevant today, almost 30 years on.
That said, the music, veering from art-punk/post punk to staright ahead noise punk, unlike their more commercial counterparts, the melodies are not that obvious.
Cue Jeffrey Lewis, who does the almost impossible, transforming the originals into indiepop/anti-folk songs, while staying more or less true to the originals. Seeing him do these live this week was absolutely awesome...some done with just voice, piano & guitar.
Even the quietest ones still evoke the anger of the originals, but, in more subtle way...as Matt Hayes (of Sarah records) once said 'you can be angry/left wing and quiet at the same time'), my words, as I cannot remember the oringinal quote word for word.
This album is a must for any Jeffrey Lewis fan (go see him do it live as well - your ears will love you forever). It may also appeal to fans of early Belle & Sebastian. As for old punks, some will baulk at the interpretations, although, some will like them...
I will warn you now, that some who like this album, then go to check out the originals are in for a bit of a shock...
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I found the idea of Jeffrey Lewis making an album of Crass covers interesting before I heard it but having seen his band tour the songs this year and the album finally coming out, it's one of my favourte albums of the year.
If you're not familliar with Crass they were an anarcho punk band who created a significant and vocal scene around them of bands and activists in the 70s and 80s. Musically they were interesting: military style drumms, a thin, buzzing guitar sound, sometimes a straight guitar-punk style and at others a very arty P.I.L style with Steve Ignorant's hyper-cockney (like Jimmy Pursey X 10) punk rocker vocals and to balance Eve libertine's very female counterpart.
My first exposure to Crass was reading the booklet from 'Christ' and at 16 it turned everything upside down for a few weeks until I balanced-out that these were flawed ideas too but that there was a radically different way of looking at the world.
I suspect that Crass are too abrasive, that some of the vocals seem too cliched and have suffered from hundreds of mockney punk rocker bands to be very palatable today. This is where Jeffrey Lewis comes in.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, perhaps I thought that he'd just play the songs straight like some of the louder songs in his set but they've become Jeffrey Lewis songs. It's interesting that structurally, the songs are very similar, a lot of narrative, a lot of rhyme and nice tangents from the main thread (Banned from the Roxy starts off about a band bitching about the scene and spirals to everything).
It's also interesting that it's easier to take on board what's being said from a British perspective when the words are sung by an American artist who has reshaped parts of them to bring them up to date and making them seem more universal. While Crass were partly about making a room full of people angry and giving them something to jump up and down to, the lyrics are pretty intellectual and when delivered slower and more gently have a different, more thoughtful power to them.
There are a couple of charming translations. In 'Do they owe us a living' instead of spitting out 'COURSE THEY DO', the more formal 'of course they do' is used in the chorus which makes you smile.
So the questions, if you like X should you buy this. If you like Jeffrey Lewis, I think you should. These songs are very much in his style and he brings a lot of himself and his band to the songs(Helen Schreiner has to take a lot of credit for sharing the vocals). If you like Crass, you'll probably like this album. It made me like the original songs more.
I'm not sure what will happen when people listen to these songs and then seek out the originals but that's another interesting side to the project.
If you're not familliar with Crass they were an anarcho punk band who created a significant and vocal scene around them of bands and activists in the 70s and 80s. Musically they were interesting: military style drumms, a thin, buzzing guitar sound, sometimes a straight guitar-punk style and at others a very arty P.I.L style with Steve Ignorant's hyper-cockney (like Jimmy Pursey X 10) punk rocker vocals and to balance Eve libertine's very female counterpart.
My first exposure to Crass was reading the booklet from 'Christ' and at 16 it turned everything upside down for a few weeks until I balanced-out that these were flawed ideas too but that there was a radically different way of looking at the world.
I suspect that Crass are too abrasive, that some of the vocals seem too cliched and have suffered from hundreds of mockney punk rocker bands to be very palatable today. This is where Jeffrey Lewis comes in.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, perhaps I thought that he'd just play the songs straight like some of the louder songs in his set but they've become Jeffrey Lewis songs. It's interesting that structurally, the songs are very similar, a lot of narrative, a lot of rhyme and nice tangents from the main thread (Banned from the Roxy starts off about a band bitching about the scene and spirals to everything).
It's also interesting that it's easier to take on board what's being said from a British perspective when the words are sung by an American artist who has reshaped parts of them to bring them up to date and making them seem more universal. While Crass were partly about making a room full of people angry and giving them something to jump up and down to, the lyrics are pretty intellectual and when delivered slower and more gently have a different, more thoughtful power to them.
There are a couple of charming translations. In 'Do they owe us a living' instead of spitting out 'COURSE THEY DO', the more formal 'of course they do' is used in the chorus which makes you smile.
So the questions, if you like X should you buy this. If you like Jeffrey Lewis, I think you should. These songs are very much in his style and he brings a lot of himself and his band to the songs(Helen Schreiner has to take a lot of credit for sharing the vocals). If you like Crass, you'll probably like this album. It made me like the original songs more.
I'm not sure what will happen when people listen to these songs and then seek out the originals but that's another interesting side to the project.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I bought this on a whim having seen a "CD of the week" - type review in the Guardian. I am old enough to remember Crass first time round. I think this album is a very inventive take on the old punk themes. It captures some of the anger and adds quite a bit of emphasis on the wit. Well performed. The packaging is a work of art as well.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
12 Crass Songs
This is brilliant. Jeffrey Lewis transforms 12 songs by anarcho-punks Crass into potent protest songs rendered in a quirky/folky style. Read more
Published on 17 Feb 2010 by Dave Gilmour's cat
I was sceptical but it works!
Acoustic folk versions of Crass songs by an American? Surely not! Crass fans like myself will be horrified at the idea, but give it a listen. It works brilliantly. Read more
Published on 23 April 2009 by S. Thomas
My Favourite Album so Far This Year
I know it came out in 2007 but I've only just got around to it. This is a very fine album. Not a weak track. Thoroughly decent throughout. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2009 by R. Andrews
Genius
Lewis gives us some great nu-folk backing tracks,mixed with lyrics of an unequaled depth and relevance. Read more
Published on 9 Nov 2008 by Piers J. A. Vokins
A bit dissapointing...
It pains me to give a "bad" review to Jeffrey Lewis, because I have been a huge fan of his since I discovered his first album a few years ago. Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2008 by idleone
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