Levellers | Static on the Airways

Levellers | Static On The Airways

The Levellers' new album sees the band in as militant a mood as ever. "Static On The Airwaves" portrays a continent in crisis. The first single, "Truth Is", was inspired by the impressions which the British outfit gathered on visits to Athens. "The politicians and bankers have dumped all the burdens on those at the bottom of the pile," says singer Mark Chadwick. "They're now paying for the havoc caused by others." The Levellers are still angry. The Brighton-based folk-punk band are unrivalled in their commitment to the principles of liberty as they doggedly pursue the fight for equality, understanding and freedom. No other musicians occupy such a hard-edged position on capitalism, display such a rabble-rousing approach in their lyrics and music. But this is only one side of "Static On The Airwaves". Where there is injustice, there is also hope: "We've got a lot of different stories on the album, and most of them are told from a highly personal standpoint," says Chadwick of the album's general tenor. "They are real stories about real people, and there's hope even in their darkest moments."

The Levellers have also made strides on a musical level. They remain a folk-rock band, of course, and "Static On The Airwaves" is a folk-rock album. At the same time, the increased use of keyboards nods in the direction of 1980s New Wave or electronic influences. The harmonious backing vocals come more to the fore. The tempo has been slowed down and the harmonies frequently seem more thoughtful. The crucial difference to previous records from the Levellers is the production, however. "The music sounds quite different this time because the whole album was recorded without any overdubs," says Chadwick. "We rehearsed all the songs and then recorded them live in the studio." The whole band got together at Sono Studios in Prague to record each song in turn with producer Sean Lakeman. The Levellers had to go to the Czech Republic, because there are hardly any studios left in England that can accommodate an entire band – and the ones that can are simply too expensive. The live situations makes "Static On The Airwaves" immensely powerful and bursting with energy. Not only because the musicians can be heard clapping after the songs, joking or calling out to each other. But also because it comes as close as a studio recording can to capturing the Levellers' live sound. And this has always been a live band.

"Static On The Airwaves" begins with static interference, a short intro, an introductory poem, before "Gunmen" gets down to business. An unusual facet for the Levellers is the plucking synths at the beginning, which transport the listener back in time to the New Wave England of the Thatcher era. Then the drums come into play and the guitars lend the mid-tempo number a positive sound befitting the social vision that lays down the leitmotif for the album – a just society. After the single, "Truth Is", the album takes us directly into a land "After The Hurricane". The USA at the end of the Bush era, at the time of Barack Obama's election. The fiddle attempts to play a new motif at the beginning, only to abandon the idea. The acoustic guitar starts up and the voice intones tentatively: "It may be the faintest of glows" – a silver lining on the horizon intimating that a world power may be coming to its senses.

"Forgotten Towers" then really gets things moving. The fiddles set the tempo, and Chadwick sings of ailing inner-cities, omnipresent shopping malls, temples of commerce and people living out their lives between barcodes and indeed as barcodes. A two-minute duet between breakneck fiddles and the singer, sparsely accompanied by background voices – an intermezzo, before things get really serious. "No Barriers" and its wall-of-sound guitars tell of the difficulties of breaking the mould and finding a new direction in life, while "Alone In The Darkness" muses on love and loss in muted, melancholy tones.

"Raft Of Medusa" recounts the true story of the wreck of the frigate Méduse in 1816. 147 passengers were left adrift at sea, many went out of their minds and died of thirst, while some resorted to cannibalism. For the Levellers, this raft is a metaphor for modern Europe and the song provides the album with its essential core.

This is the moment of decision: How do people deal with one another when the going gets tough? The song receives a duly dramatic treatment, with the band pulling out all the stops – fiddle, acoustic and electric guitar, organ, keyboards, and a suitably anthemic chorus. "Ways We Have Won" then continues on an agreeably optimistic note – an upbeat song celebrating achievement.

IMG/ On The Fiddle/ Rough Trade Cat. no. OTFCD006 www.levellers.co.uk www.facebook.com/levellersofficial www.india-media.de Release date: 29.06.2012 Levellers | Static On The Airways

Then the album takes a decidedly sarcastic turn. "Second Life" highlights the advantages of the virtual world over real life: "It’s better than real life, even better than a real wife." "Traveller" tells how it is impossible to escape from oneself, while "Mutiny" recounts the (true) story of a mutiny by British soldiers in the First World War against perceived injustice: there's always a chance that the underdogs, those who are used to taking orders, may rise up and fight back. "Static on The Airwaves" closes with "Recruiting Sergeant", a traditional Scottish tune with new lyrics. Once again, the band rolls out its full complement of instruments for a rip-roaring finale, epitomising the live atmosphere that defines "Static On The Airwaves".

24 years after the band was formed, The Levellers still has the same line-up. 20 years after their classic "Levelling The Land", they are as independent as ever. They are in full control of what they do. They have their own label and have set up their own publishing company. Their commerce-free Beautiful Days Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year with acts such as Public Image Limited, Frank Turner, New Model Army or Billy Bragg, to name but a few. "Static On The Airwaves" fits seamlessly into this independent scenario. Here is a band that says, sings and plays what it wants, and above all a band that knows what it wants: It's all about embracing and expressing a certain attitude while maintaining a crucial sense of enjoyment. The situation is bad enough, but music can bring about change and get people dancing. Or, to put it in Chadwick's own words: "Whatever the situation, there's always hope. We want people to feel this."

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IMG/ On The Fiddle/ Rough Trade Cat. no. OTFCD006 www.levellers.co.uk www.facebook.com/levellersofficial www.india-media.de Release date: 29.06.2012