''Welfare Problems'' is an album by

Randy Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolph, and Miranda, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of them. '' Randi'' is approximat ...

, released in 2003 by

Burning Heart Records Burning Heart Records is an independent record label formed in 1993 in Fagersta, Sweden, and currently based in Örebro. It has a close affiliation with Californian label Epitaph Records, who own the rights to distribute Burning Heart's output ...

. It contains twelve tracks, including the single "X-Ray Eyes," which, alongside the closing track "Dirty and Cheap," also appears on the soundtrack of the Swedish black comedy '' Smala Sussie.''

Critical reception

''Welfare Problems'' has received critical acclaim. Johnny Loftus of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

granted ''Welfare Problems'' 4 out of 5 stars, stating that the album "finds Randy's ideology undiluted by the addition of buzzing guitar hooks and shoutable choruses to its punk rock roots." In the review, Loftus positively likens Randy to punk rock bands like

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

and garage rock bands like

The Modern Lovers The Modern Lovers were an American rock band formed in Natick, Massachusetts in 1970 by Jonathan Richman. The original band existed from 1970 to 1974 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist ...

, complementing Randy's "staunchly socialist stumping" in their lyrics and citing the band's clear draws from

Eddie Cochran Ray Edward Cochran ( ; October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American rock and roll musician. His songs, such as " Twenty Flight Rock", " Summertime Blues", " C'mon Everybody" and " Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire in ...

and

Roger Daltrey Sir Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band the Who, known for his powerful voice and charismatic stage presence. His stage persona ear ...

as lyrical and stylistic influences. Loftus also compliments the album's lead producer, Pelle Gunnerfeldt, for producing a sound "with touches of fuzz and a perfect mix of lead and supporting vocals." The review concludes with Loftus stating, "Randy may want the kids to rise up, but the band knows that shouting and dancing come first." Loftus cites "A Man in Uniform," "X-Ray Eyes," "Welfare Problems," and "Dirty and Cheap" as the standout tracks. In his review of the album, Chris O'Toole of The Bedlam Society rewarded the album 8.5 out of 10 stars, favorably comparing Randy to other bands that were part of "the recent garage influenced Rock N' Roll revival," including fellow Swedish bands

The Hives The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band formed in Fagersta in 1993. After gaining success in Sweden throughout the 1990s, they rose to worldwide prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. The band's line-upconsisting of H ...

Refused Refused (also known as the Refused) is a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå and formed in 1991. Refused is composed of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, guitarist Kristofer Steen, drummer David Sandström, and bassist Magnus Flagge. Guita ...

, and

The (International) Noise Conspiracy The (International) Noise Conspiracy (abbreviated T(I)NC) was a Swedish rock band formed in late 1998. The lineup consisted of Dennis Lyxzén (vocals), Inge Johansson (bass), Lars Strömberg (guitar), and Ludwig Dahlberg (drums). The band was ...

. O'Toole praises Randy's growth over their career since their 1994 debut album ''There's No Way We're Gonna Fit In'', and he compliments Randy's "maniacally energetic" style. While pointing out that several of the songs on the album have more "reflective" and "personal" subject matter than others, he says, "one of the most endearing qualities of this Swedish quartet is that they are not afraid to showcase their quirky and fun side along with the harsh reality of their ociopoliticalconcerns." O'Toole cites "Cheap Thrills" and "X-Ray Eyes" as stand-out tracks, calling the latter " rivaland ..certainly on par with "

Hey Ya! "Hey Ya!" is a song by American hip hop duo Outkast, performed by its member André 3000, who wrote and produced the song. Along with " The Way You Move", recorded by Outkast's other member Big Boi and which featured Sleepy Brown, "Hey Ya! ...

" by

Outkast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...

for best song of the year."

Track listing

Information

* recorded at Studio Gröndahl * all tracks except for "Cheap Thrills" produced by Pelle Gunnerfeldt * "Cheap Thrills" produced by Jocke Åhlund * Mixed and engineered by Pelle Gunnerfeldt * artwork by Henrik Walse * released by Burning Heart on May 6, 2003 * performed by

Credits

* Fredrik Granberg - drums * Johan Gustafsson - bass, background vocals * Stefan Granberg - lead vocals, guitar * Johan Brändström - guitar, background and lead vocals * Jennie Asplund - background vocals * Johanna Asplund - background vocals * Calle Olsson - background vocals *

- Composer, Engineer, Primary Artist, Producer

References

{{Authority control 2003 albums 2003 in Swedish music Randy (band) albums Burning Heart Records albums Punk rock albums by Swedish artists Garage rock albums by Swedish artists