Blog logo by Montbummery
If throwing the music playbook out the window was (and largely, still is) a near-guarantee that your music won’t be heard by masses, then its still puzzling how so many bands that achieved relatively little success were still able to record/produce and do all kinds of things through (often) unpleasant circumstances/conditions.
From Chrome to Neurosis to Suicide, plenty of performers chose to ignore the trends of the moment and the risk of being forgotten and instead focused on developing some of the most creative ways to express themselves. The results were often mixed, but they also offered musicians who dared to follow this path something that no chart-toppers/hoppers could ever do – a chance to be remember for being original and creative, rather than chasing trends and being loved for an attempt to imitate someone else.
While such albums as Jesus Lizard’s “Goat”, Slint’s “Spiderland” and My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless” most certainly started to change general public perception of what music can be, it wasn’t until recently that much of hard-to-categorize/hard-to-define music started to penetrate the conscience of larger audience, mostly via college radio, success of bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pixies (as well as smaller victories by bands like Fugazi, My Bloody Valentine and countless others) in the early 80s and 90s, and of course, endless touring and work accomplished by thousands of bands, large and small, indie and not.
While the proliferation of computers, mp3 format and YouTube seemingly made it easier for musicians to find ways to record and do tours/promote themselves, its still mind-boggling how many of them are still ending up in the trash bin of history/discount bins around the country. Even though there’s a countless amount of magazines and music festivals around the world, there’s still plenty of bands who might need a bit of recognition and it is my hope/belief that I Heart Noise will help to fill that void (at least partially).
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Recommended Reading
Michael Azerrad – Our Band Could Be Your Life
Charles Neal – Tape Delay: Confessions From The Eighties Underground
Recommended Listening
Hand-picked tunes by bands you know (Husker Du, Suicide, Slint) and bands you don’t, but definitely should (Violet Nox, Skyjelly, Guiding Light).
Tracklist
St. Johnny – Black Eye (from Speed is Dreaming) (DGC, 1994)
Turkish Delight – Grammy (from Tommy Bell) (Castle von Buhler, 1996)
Slint – Good Morning, Captain (from Spiderland) (Touch and Go, 1991)
and more tunes from Hopewell, Grand Mal and many others.
