59 Times the Pain
“Calling the Public”
(Burning Heart Records)
59 Times the Pain is a four piece from Sweden, established in 1993. “Calling the Pubic,” their fourth album, displays a sound very similar to that of Rancid. Nothing on this CD grabbed my attention or made me think, “Wow, this is really good music.” I would rather listen to Rancid any day, but that doesn’t stop this determined hardcore gang who first joined the Epitaph roster in 1999 with their third album, “End of the Millenium.” 59 Times the Pain helped boost the hardcore scene in Sweden along with Millencolin, Refused and No Fun At All. I feel like I’ve heard this before, songs about ” Modern technology call it evolution / The whole world in the palm of your hand” and “Welcome to the 21st Century.” That’s old news over here. Maybe Europe is a little behind on the whole compact electronics movement. “Calling the Public” is not an album I would recommend–it lacks energy and seemed to remind me of a bad European movie.
