Somehow, I’ve dealt myself a significant number of not-in-English albums recently. LÜT‘s self-titled fourth album from Indie Recordings is the latest. This Norwegian Power Punk quartet displays a range of the genre’s styles, particularly in the vocals of Mads Erland Ystmark, Orjan Nyborg Myrland Stensby, and Maurius James Platt.

Ten bouncy, quirky tunes range from Sum 41, to stalwarts Green Day, and several others.  The unique feature LÜT brings is vocals ranging from standard Power Punk anthems to driving Thrash, and NuMetal, among others.  As with most Power Punk outfits, the guitar solos aren’t the thing (more’s the pity) but the cohesive whole synchronized assault of four guys making more noise than any Country fan can imagine.

Opener “Fokk D” starts with an almost Eighties vibe spoken-word bit over a rhythmic bass riff before the singing kicks in. The style persists throughout and makes for a fun and energetic opening track to get the party started.

“Opp Ned” feels really Sum 41-ish, with a grouchier vibe, but still the genre-standard vocals and slightly distorted guitars. “Smil_Vink” follows with NuMetal rhyme-shouting and even more guitar distortion. These guys benefit from their cadre of vocalists; the harmonies are excellent. “Guro” follows with the same upbeat perkiness of the rest of the album. A few tiny Beastie Boys vocal flourishes help to distinguish this one.

A cute little mandolin-like solo opens “Perfekte Liv.” Somewhere in this driving rush was the only English word I recognized: “motherfucker.” This one’s fun, bouncy, and worth it for the mandolin tuning alone.

I could go on in this vein, but without understanding the lyrics, my first remarks regarding the vocals stand for pretty much every tune: The creative deployment of every metal and punk style vocals with a bed of perky, bouncy, hell, ebullient Power Punk should be all you need to give this at least a listen.

This is the sort of thing I’d love to be able to scream along to with the top down and an open road. If only I knew the words. 

Buy the album here:
https://www.lutband.com/store

8 / 10
LARRY ROGERS
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