Absolute criminal neglect! I don't believe there are any
Life But How to Live It records/CDs in print. Even Ebullition has let the glorious 12" to your left out of circulation. Oslo's
Life... But How to Live It was one of the most creative and talented bands ever to be associated with the words punk or hardcore. Certainly, many will object to the latter term completely, even with the looseness with which that term was tossed around in the '90's. But LBHTLI exemplified the politics and ethics of hardcore, even if they did employ a whole lot of rock elements. The main factors that made this band such a standout force in music were the amazing guitar work and soulful vocals of Roger Andreassen and Katja Osvold respectively. As the band progressed toward the middle period of their short 5 year existence, Andreassen became more daring with his squealing brand of rocked out, fretboard artistry. The two eps that followed their "Day by Day" LP are testimony to his over-the-top, hyper-active guitar genius, which is why I placed them at the top of the download list below. Then there's Katja... The robust melodies she belted out are a rich mixture of the angst of punk, the catchiness of pop, and the soul and sincerity of folk. Lyrically, the band blended their political message with a very earthy, personal touch, which only endeared them more to their '90's audience. To those who have never listened to this band, I would suggest entering their musical world with an open mind (especially if you are an exclusively crustified grindcore type!). And to everyone: below are tracks from the "Green" EP, the "Burn" EP (also appear on the Ebullition 12"), the self-titled LP, and the "Day by Day" LP. Thank you to a few anonymous people on Soulseek who have unknowingly contributed to this collection!
Enjoy:
First two LPs
"Ugly" and Eps
Some members are currently in a punk band called
Drunk.
A while ago, I posted a shit-ton of Life... But How To Live It? tracks that I had downloaded. Back then, rumor had it that Boss Tuneage was going to issue a double CD discography for the band. Over a year later, and it has yet to be substantiated. Considering this, LBHTLI continues to rank as probably THE most detrimentally overlooked of the truly great "punk" bands the world ever produced. I won't insult the band by attempting to put the beauty they created into words... I'll just go ahead and present, for the third time on this blog, the band's epic diatribe on American hypocrisy, "Burn." It's tied with "Jealousy" for my all time favorite LBHTLI song; I hope you like.
