Armed Love

Following in the tradition of Dylan to Springsteen, Marley to the Clash, Lennon to Rage Against the Machine, the International Noise Conspiracy imbues its songs with politics and passion. Produced by Rick Rubin (System of a Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer)Armed Love captures the fist-pumping high energy of their live show for the first time on album. Rock and politics collide on the musical call to Armed Love.

Fueled by the potent quasi-Marxist political slant of Gang of Four and early Manic Street Preachers and wed to a sonic bent that's a fervent hybrid of ‘60s garage thrash and nascent ‘70s punk abandon, Sweden's International Noise Conspiracy seem unlikely candidates for big-budget American modern rock crossover potential. But, under the able guidance of producer Rick Rubin, that's what they've slyly pulled off here with some success. If INC organist Sara Almgren was lost in that intense artistic shuffle, the band gained unlikely cameos by Billy Preston and Heartbreaker Benmont Tench in the bargain, further indications of the project's wider marketing aims. The blistering opener "Black Mask," "The Dream Is Over" and bluesy "This Side of Heaven" may beckon with the crass, neo-classic rock seductiveness of Red Walls and Jet, but tracks like "Communist Moon" and "Let's Make History" remind listeners that band founders Lars Strömberg and Dennis Lyxzén were largely inspired by Phil Ochs' sage comment that the perfect rock band would be a "combination of Elvis and Che Guevara." Here's that sentiment's logical extension: Music that seeks to replace the prevailing political order by shrewdly co-opting its pop culture from the inside-out – and occasionally one-upping its populist appeal in the bargain. --Jerry McCulley