Seein’ Red – Workspiel

(GAP Recordings, 1993)

http://www.myspace.com/seeinred

Reviewed by SoDak

The other day I was listening to the news on the radio. It did not take long to get sick of the endless pabulum following the election. I needed to find something to boost my energy, to give me a swift kick in the ass, to vent my frustration. I looked through my music collection to find Seein’ Red’s Workspiel. Right away, the crunch of the guitar made me feel better. I started to sing along to the opening song, “Great Planet”: “Open your eyes goddammit, can’t you realize goddammit, we’ve got to act now goddammit, if we want to save this planet. Don’t expect anything from the capitalists. They’ll keep raping our Earth for their profits.” I felt better, even though I continued to be pissed off, which is good, given the state of things in the world. I remembered the excitement of punk rock, of friends working together to put on shows, to organize rallies, and to direct action. It was good to feel the unity of struggle, which too often is lost in the day-to-day grind of life.

Seein’ Red, a punk band from the Netherlands, formed when Lärm broke up in the late 1980s. The first full-length record, which is self titled, sounds much different than the releases that followed; Fugazi and Ignition were obvious influences at this point in time for Seein’ Red. I bought this record when it was released, and I really like it, so I was somewhat surprised when I heard the short, fast, and intense songs on their next recordings.

Seein’ Red is addicting. This three-piece band produces a powerful sound, knocking out politically charged songs with lyrics that often focus on a critique of capitalism. On Workspiel, almost all of the songs are under three minutes long. So the lyrics are very short and direct. Their songs address exploitation at work, confronting racism and sexism, environmental degradation, hating the rich, revolution, and protest. There is also the occasional song about friendships and loneliness. Seein’ Red has released a ton of records through the years. I have not been able to keep up or track down all of their records. I wish that the endless series of seven inches, splits with other bands, and compilation tracks were compiled on CDs. Some of my favorite records by Seein’ Red remain their early seven inches, which are included on the end of the Workspiel CD.

The twenty-seven songs on this record pass by quickly. I often hit repeat to listen to several songs more than once. Seein’ Red is good at including space between power chords, which lets the energy build within the songs. This is how “Fist” starts out, before the drums and bass join the assault. It is a simple song to be yelled: “It only takes five fingers yeah to make a fist. They can break your fingers but they can’t break a fist. That’s what unity’s teaching us, so organize and resist. A message so fucking true it turned me into a Marxist.” While most of the songs are fast, straight-forward punk rock, mid-tempo songs break up the pace from time to time. Bass runs surface on many songs. The power of the guitar keeps this album lively.

On “Dream,” clean guitar notes can be heard, before the drum propels us into the song, “I wanna see socialism inspire, see sparks turn into a huge fire, a fire the rulers can’t damp down, burning their empires, the empires down, burn it down to ashes, making an end to all oppressive conditions, making the way free, free to the people. I wanna see a world revolution, see the people being part of the solution, a solution the rulers can’t fight down, tearing their power, their fuckin’ power down, tear it to pieces.”

Within the fantasy world of capitalism, there are endless distractions that encourage escapism and submission to the dominant ideology. Seein’ Red notes this dynamic and responses, “Fuck that.” While this may not be the most original statement, at least it expressions opposition. They explain that living in a state of sleep is not an option. Furthermore, in the song, “Direct Action,” they point out, “There are the times that words are not enough. There are times that protest marches don’t work. Then it’s time for direct action.” They continue, “protest songs” are not enough. Change demands revolutionary praxis—get out into the streets.

“Believe in Yourself” starts with a nice drumbeat. The song slowly builds before exploding in passion. “There is something I’d like to tell. There’s no heaven and there’s no hell. So get out of your stuffy church, get off your knees sheep. Tear up the holy bible, break with your religious beliefs…Believe in yourself…Soon you will realize, religion was just sand in your eyes.” The song changes tempo a number of times, and the bass thunders as it runs underneath the whole song.

In 1996, Seein’ Red played with Torches to Rome in Rapid City, South Dakota. They did an incredible set with great intensity. They use the microphone to address important social issues, rather than just playing songs. None of the songs from this record or the previous record were played. Seein’ Red is focused on the present struggle. They are constantly writing new songs to address immediate concerns. Along the way they have recorded a ton of songs filled with anger and love, passion and commitment, insight and hope, protest and revolution. Get a Seein’ Red record. Read the lyrics and sing along. Then get up and make some connections with other folks. Organize. Rebel. Raise the red flag and get on with it.