Such a Pain 2000 HarmOnIce Records. Distributed by RecRec. 20.– CHF / 13.– €. order

HANG OR DIE has been called one of the most astonishing bands of recent times. Its style has at times the brutal frankness of a revenue officer summing up the gains and losses in the never ending game of modern popular culture, wobbling from ecstasy to bankruptcy – and back again. Once they had decided to call their first collection of 17 songs Such a Pain, they started to pick all the miseries they could find on their way from home to work (and back again) musing insistently on the by-products of human intercourse, i.e. non-fulfilled hopes and unhopeful fulfilments (to put it bluntly: sex). The inherent tragedies of modern adult (and, sometimes, not so adult) life had become the major field of investigation of the band members, remembering what there had to be remembered. It found its most suiting musical expression in their multiplicity of styles and tones and languages. The sadness of a lonely weekend (Samedi soir) is rendered inimitably by the sulky disenchantment of Blame Mee, while the band tries to capture the atmosphere of former Paris’ nightlife (after four o’clock in the morning); Natural Girl, a song about the preposterous pretensions of a teenager considering herself a natural beauty, mixes the standard punk-beat of the late seventies with the wrongly naïve and increasingly frantic singing of Lucia Gelli; in Waiting for a New Age to Come, the entire catalogue of esoteric lies about love and life is expressed by the clash of 6/4- and 4/4-beats in the refrains and the pseudo-shamanism of the bridges, thus underlying the fact that there are probably more sensible ways to come than booking a trip to Tibet; J’aime ce cretin, dealing with the horror of falling in love with an idiot, alternates tango stereotypes with ska-music, thus reminding us of the erotically interlaced in and outs of sexual intercourse. The work of Hang Or Die wouldn’t be duly described if we wouldn’t mention the groups attachment to French chanson; for their first CD, they have decided to give a punk-version of Léo Ferrés steamy slow C’est extra. The album closes on the lament about the scandalous fact of getting a little bit older every day (Sexy or Even Clever), blending the high-pitched "such a pain / to get older / and still be the same" with cats-mewing and the highest note of an opera aria. In short, Such a Pain is an interesting first work. It shows that the members of Hang Or Die have been around and know what life is all about. They may be right, they may be too programmatic or too primitive – that’s up to you! Frank Sullivan

01. Natural Girl Beauty' s nature without art Harmony, simplicity (I refuse “bestiality”) Yes, beauty is nature without art. I' ve got hair on my legs, hair on my arms Hair – everywhere. I don' t need no mascara, I don' t need no Wonderbra, Cause I don' t care. Boy, I' m a natural girl, Haven' t had a shave for years. My inner qualities are, of course, Of higher disposition Accorded by an invisible hand: My head, my soul, my heart, My brains, identity and noble authority. But your giddy girlish glamour glance, Your little lusty love romance, Your silly superficial sunny smile Are naturally of no importance. I' ve got hair on my legs, hair on my arms, Hair – everywhere. I don' t need no mascara, I don' t need no Wonderbra And I don' t care. DOWNLOAD MP3 08. J' aime ce crétin On dit qu' il est bête, on pense qu' il est mou, mais moi je m' en fou, car il n' y a pas que la tête qui compte. J' aime ce crétin, oh oui, j' aime ce crétin. Quand il se met à dévoiler sa science, tout le monde se gêne et il y a comme un silence qui s' agrandit à fur et à mesure qu' il déconne des conneries aussi pures. Car il fait chier (vous me passerez l' expression), et le fait avec telle obstination, que vous me demanderez, c' est sûr: « Ma chère, dites, qu' est-ce qui vous attire? » Mais moi, j' aime ce crétin, oh oui, j' aime ce crétin. Car dans la nuit sauvage et épaisse, ce ne sont ni sciences ni cerveau qui m' excitent, mais plutôt lui, qui me rend toute frite, quand il rugit et quand il mayonnaise. Et s' il faut choisir parmi ces sots, je préfère celui qui ne vient pas trop tôt au moins lui, ce bon connard, il se lance à la conquête même s' il est tard. Eh donc, j' aime ce crétin, oh oui, j' aime ce crétin. Il se soûle comme un marin, il se fringue comme un parrain, mais je l' aime. Enfin, il n' y a pas que les malins qui foncent. J' aime ce crétin, oh oui, j' aime ce crétin, jusqu' à la fin de ce refrain. DOWNLOAD MP3 09. C'est extra (Musique et paroles par Léo Ferré) DOWNLOAD MP3 14. Samedi soir Samedi soir, dernier bus, il n' y a plus rien à faire. Je passerai donc toute la nuit toute seule dans mon lit. J' avais bu plus qu' une bière (j' aurais bu la mer), mais, j' rentrerai seule, comme hier, toute seule dans mon lit. Pourtant, le monde est bourré de garçons, mais quant il s' agit de les ramener à la maison, ce sont des con ... ce sont des concierges de nuit Quand je pense à ceux qui dansent, tous ces gros en slow, je sanglote – ou je ris toute seule dans mon lit. Tous ces mecs qui me draguent ou bien ils sont myopes, ou bien ils sont les rois du flop, une fois dans mon lit. Le monde est bourré de garçons, mais quant il s' agit de les ramener à la maison, ce sont des con ... ce sont des concierges de nuit. Dernier bus, samedi soir, il n' y a plus rien à voir. Ce soir, moi, j' ai tout vu, je changerai de sexe. DOWNLOAD MP3 15. Waiting for a New Age (to Come) Sitting in a fridge, waiting for a New Age to come. The Indians sing: “Da doo run run”, While I' m waiting for a New Age to come. Surfing on my way, towards a New Age of hope. The cops are nice, the sun shines, The beach is clean, and I don' t need any dope, Cause I' m waiting for a New Age to come. They call me Shiva, my karma' s alright. Oh, good good vibes, positive day and night. Papa, Mama, Jesus, I wanna fight for God! I' m so creative, I' m so sensitive, My hormones are the earth' s hieroglyph. In spring I feel like a punching ball, A bud buttoning till bloody fall. I say bud, bud, I need a budget, I need the money to get things set To turn the page for a New Age to come. The dolphins sing, the sharks all drown, Tomorrow' s gonna be a New Age to come. Sitting in my chair, rocking for a New Age of hope. The cash flows, my energy howls, I' m sitting here loading my batteries, Under a pyramid, on a solar fire for a New Age to come. My parents are from a star named Arcturus And my kids will be conquerors of the moon. Papa, Mama, Holy Kids, let' s fight for God! Yes, that' s way I see the future: A new race and a great culture. If you didn' t come in the old world, Wait till you get screwed in the new one – Welcome wanderers, holy wankers, Welcome to the New Age. DOWNLOAD MP3 17. Sexy or Even Clever Such a pain to get older And still be the same. Such a pain. Am I nice? Am I sweet? Am I cute, or just neat? Am I hip? Am I square? Am I someone, or just there? But, listen, I won' t improve One little quality whatsoever. I won' t move, one little finger, no, no, never. I won' t prove, being sexy or even clever. Never! Such a pain to get older And still be the same. Such a pain. Am I nice? Am I sweet? Am I cute, or just neat? And do you care, if I am there, Getting older and you just colder. Having tea, having rolls, I' ve just heard, what you' ve read. Hope you don' t mind, but I won' t find A pleasant way, to get out of your way. Such a pain to get older And still be the same. Such a pain. DOWNLOAD MP3