For months now, I’ve been jogging to music from the Danish band Nelson Can, a trio of women on vocals, bass, and drum. Lead singer Selena Gin’s voice easily fills in for the missing guitar.
Finding workout music can be difficult; for me, it has to hit a steady beat while avoiding monotony. The beat better be deep and it better carry some drama, the kind that makes you feel you’re in your own feature film. Catchy lyrics are key when you’re pounding pavement. Nelson Can has it all. It’s one of the rare albums I will play from start to finish on a run. It’s also great music for a drive or a walk—I’ve been trialing it without tiring of it since spring.
I’m not a serious runner, by any means, but this music has some serious get-up-and-go. In my opinion, their best album is Now Is Your Time to Deliver. From the rallying drumbeat of “Miami” to the metal grandiosity of “Glorious” to the final, tart-cherry licks of “You Don’t Know”, this is an album that will lift you up and set you back down, only to press replay. These are battle songs for the righteous human spirit in all of us.
“Here to Stay,” for example, has a beautifully oily bassline and lyrics to boil blood:
Here you come with your weapons
Here you come with your guns
Here you come to make us afraid
Keep on walkin’, I’m here to stay.
Keep on walkin’, I’m here to stay.
I try to time the title song, “Now Is Your Time to Deliver”, for an uphill segment of my jog. This song feels your pain and calls you up to absolutely conquer.
Evidently, Nelson Can released only two albums and some singles before disbanding in 2020. Selena Gin has recorded some solo work, but I find it pretty tame compared to her big, raw artistry with Nelson Can. The band’s two albums (the other is called So Long Desire) are fiery gems. They carry hints of punk and metal but are essentially good old-fashioned rock.
Picture working out or—what do I know?—preparing pasta to the undeniable growl of “Talk About It”: “You. Are carrying a heavy. Respons-i-bil-i-ty.” Try it, I promise you won’t miss the guitar.
Kate Oden is a freelance translator and writer who also reports for the Valley News. She’s currently at work on a novel.