The Shape of Punk to Come

The Shape of Punk to Come
Studio album by Refused
Released	October 27, 1998 June 8, 2010 (re-release)
Recorded	at Tonteknik Bomba Je studios in late 1997
Genre	Hardcore punk, post-hardcore, experimental rock, art punk
Length	55:11
Label	Burning Heart
Producer	Eskil Lövström, Andreas Nilsson, Pelle Henricsson, Refused
Professional reviews
The reviews parameter has been deprecated. Please move reviews into the “Reception” section of the article. See Moving reviews into article space. Allmusic BBC (deluxe edition, very positive) Consequence of Sound (deluxe edition) Drowned in Sound (deluxe edition)(10/10) Kerrang! [citation needed] Pitchfork Media (deluxe edition) (9.4/10) Punknews.org Rock Sound (deluxe edition) (10/10) Sputnikmusic
Refused chronology
The Demo Compilation (1997) The Shape of Punk to Come (1998)

The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts is the third and final album by Swedish hardcore punk band Refused, released in October 1998 through Burning Heart Records. The album's title is a reference to Ornette Coleman's 1959 avant-garde jazz album The Shape of Jazz to Come and also a possible homage to the song by the punk rock band The Nation of Ulysses, "The Sound of Jazz to Come" from their album Plays Pretty for Baby. The song title "Worms of the Senses / Faculties of the Skull" is an allusion to a line from Allen Ginsberg's long poem "Howl." Additionally, the song "Refused Are Fuckin Dead" is a reference to the Born Against song "Born Against Are Fuckin' Dead." Refused may have been influenced by both Born Against and The Nation of Ulysses in terms of approach, ideology, and sound.

Although Refused broke up only months after the album's release, the album since found an audience for the band and largely contributed to their posthumous fame, as well as inspiring many later artists in a wide range of genres. Kerrang! magazine listed The Shape of Punk to Come at #13 on their 50 Most Influential Albums of All Time list in 2003.

Overview

This album marked a sharp and conscious departure from Refused's earlier work. The philosophy of the album, expounded in the ample liner notes and encapsulated in the song "New Noise," was that punk and hardcore music could not be anti-establishment by continuing to package revolutionary lyrics in sounds which had been increasingly co-opted into the mainstream. The sound of the record challenged existing punk sensibilities; it was "punk" at a fundamental level, but thanks to bold and experimental combinations of hardcore, prog-punk, techno, and even jazz sounds, it was worlds apart from pop punk bands such as Green Day and Blink-182, and even more traditional punk rock bands such as Bad Religion and Pennywise.

The album also includes "political interludes" between some songs, reminiscent of the D.C. band The Nation of Ulysses. The use of more technological sounds or drum and bass music, particularly on the "New Noise" single/EP which followed the album, is a tactic that various members of Refused have credited to the influence of Philadelphia punk band Ink & Dagger.

Samples

• "Deadly Rhythm" samples Bo Diddley's 1959 R&B song "I'm A Man."
• The break in "New Noise" samples Col. Kurtz's famous monologue from the 1979 Vietnam war film Apocalypse Now.

2004 Reissue

In 2004, a DVD-Audio version of the album was released, remixed in 5.1-channel Surround Sound. Many of the songs were compositionally altered, some significantly. "Bruitist Pome #5," for example, was thoroughly reworked, while a seven-minute version of "Refused Are Fuckin Dead" jarringly transitions into a new second half, which incorporates elements of the Bombe Je Remix of the song. Other songs received new intros or outros.

Track listing

1. "Worms of the Senses / Faculties of the Skull" – 7:05
2. "Liberation Frequency" – 4:08
3. "The Deadly Rhythm" – 3:34
4. "Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine" – 4:01
5. "Bruitist Pome #5" – 1:25
6. "New Noise" – 5:08
7. "The Refused Party Program" – 2:38
8. "Protest Song '68" – 4:32
9. "Refused Are Fuckin Dead" – 5:08
10. "The Shape of Punk to Come" – 5:06
11. "Tannhäuser / Derivè" – 8:07
12. "The Apollo Programme Was a Hoax" – 4:13

2010 Reissue

In addition to the 12 tracks of the original release, the 2010 reissue, released as a deluxe edition, also included previously unreleased live recordings from a 1998 concert and a DVD of the documentary on the band, Refused Are Fucking Dead.

Disc 2: Live at Umeå Open festival (April 3, 1998)

1. "Shape of Punk to Come" – 4:38
2. "Refused Party Program" – 1:28
3. "Circle Pit" – 2:48
4. "Worms of the Senses / Faculties of the Skull" – 5:31
5. "Hook, Line and Sinker" – 2:51
6. "Summer Holidays vs. Punk Routine" – 3:54
7. "Rather Be Dead" – 3:42
8. "Burn It" – 2:33
9. "The Deadly Rhythm" – 4:05
10. "Coup d'Etat" – 5:10
11. "New Noise" – 4:48
12. "Tannhäuser" – 7:30

Disc 3: Refused Are Fucking Dead DVD

Main article: Refused Are Fucking Dead

Personnel

The Shape of Punk to Come personnel as listed in album liner notes.

Refused

• Dennis Lyxzén – vocals
• Kristofer Steen – guitars, bass guitar, drums
• Jon Brännström – guitars, samples
• David Sandström – drums, guitars, melodica

Additional musicians

• Magnus Björklund – bass guitar, cello
• Torbjörn Näsbom – violin
• Jakob Munck – upright bass
• Pelle Henricsson – tambourine

Production

• Eskil Lövström, Pelle Henricsson, Refused – recording, production, mixing, mastering
• Andreas Nilsson – sound technician, recording, production, mixing, mastering

Art and design

• Dennis Lyxzén – art direction, layout
• José – layout
• David Sandström – photo collage
• Ulf Nyberg – Refused photos
• Axel Stattin – backcover photo