Undead Review: Żegota

Żegota
Sinnerman/The Anarchist Cheerleader Song 7”
Crimethinc, Inc., 2005
http://www.crimethinc.com/

Doesn’t good album packaging just turn you on? I mean, let’s be real: it’s like opening a sexy letter from someone who handmade an envelope just for you. The textures and images in Żegota’s latest 7” will remind you that music isn’t just about hearing; it’s about touch, it’s about work, it’s about physical sensation and spectacle as well. Sinnerman’s lyrics are printed on beautiful ridged brown paper; the vinyl itself finds a home in a photo of mannequin-like figures spreading their arms and taking flight. One can’t help but think of the hands that packaged these records; indeed, the back of the record sleeve meticulously describes and thanks the people involved in the countless phases of assembly.

Such gorgeous packaging makes me wish from the bottom of my heart that the songs lived up to their sensuous introduction. Sadly, they were an anticlimax. “Sinnerman,” the traditional that comes down via Nina Simone, doesn’t translate well into hardcore punk. Well, let’s be honest: it doesn’t translate well into rock. The problem is less Żegota’s execution and more their idealistic notion that a gospelly spiritual could be rocked with panache. The song describes a sinner frantically seeking refuge on the day of judgment, not realizing it’s too late to repent. The levity of the lyrics seem betrayed by the standard bass-drums-guitars rock setup; whereas a jazz band or choir could really scare the shit out of you with this material, Żegota merely scaremongers.

Of course, a title like “The Anarchist Cheerleader Song” makes one hope for rousing choruses, circle pit brotherhood, and pithy, street-punk chants. Nope. Not to be found. Żegota’s idea of a fists-in-the-air lyric? “A, give me an A.” What a bummer! The endeavor may have been punk in attitude and communal in execution, but even the revolution’s most strident cheerleaders will have a tough time adding these tunes to their songbook.