Jorden Först by Arv & Miljö
As a part of its sanitized capitalist rebranding, environmentalism has lost its teeth. It’s not surprising–it’s very convenient for those in power if mainstream ideas of climate activism are divorced from radical roots in ecological sabotage. Swedish sound collagists Arv & Miljö remind us of this very recent past on their album Jorden Först, a retrospective on the Earth First! and Earth Liberation Front movements. This two-track release highlights the history of these groups, using archival snippets, field recordings, and folk music backed by Mort Garson-esque electronica. Of course, this combination of delicate synth and acoustic guitar seems like it would be the perfect accompaniment for these vignettes of tree-hugging hippies, but these stories are not a lighthearted Kumbaya singalong about how much we all love Mother Earth. Within the first minute of side A on this album, an activist unknowingly foreshadows later events: “What this movement needs is a little blood, sweat, and tears…”, as menacing chainsaws and bulldozer gears grind in the background. Fading out to oscillating ambient tones paired with chirping birds and crunching twigs, a reverent atmosphere is set as a narrator describes a group of Earth First! actors shutting down operations at a fracking site through nonviolent methods. Tension builds as the police show up and clash with protestors. Chaotic screaming erupts when the cops nearly kill a man who has U-locked his neck to the tree-sitters’ support lines. Still, the serene sounds of the forest play on just as they did before, even long after the protestors win out and the skirmish ends.
In contrast to the relatively peaceful communal action of Earth First!, the B-side track focuses on the firebombing attacks of the Earth Liberation Front, performed by individuals driven to preserve the land by any means necessary. Calm interviews with the perpetrators are contrasted with panicked news segments, all interwoven by a beautiful resonant hum, soon transitioning to a medley of protest songs. The album fades out as activists chant, “Burn, burn, burn,” and a speaker condenses their mission into one message: “Why are we doing all of this?. . .We aren’t trying to save backpacking parks, we aren’t trying to clean up the air so we have nice scenic views of the Grand Canyon, we’re trying to help evolution continue.”
This album neither truly condones nor condemns any of these events, but by presenting these narratives from the perspective of both insiders and outsiders, Jorden Först invites the listener to consider their own stance towards these radical environmentalists. We’re also left with the question if any of it was worth it. The ecotage carried out by ELF members caused over $40 million in property damage, yet most of it was paid back to the corporations by their insurance companies. The gears of exploitation continue to turn and catastrophic climate change is imminent, its effects already beginning to take hold. Shutting down one fracking operation for one day isn’t enough to stop it. Torching SUVs just releases more pollutants into the atmosphere. And is saving one forest really worth 20 years in prison for domestic terrorism? But when petitions, sit-ins, and toothless protests fall on deaf ears, what other options are there?
Kalen
