Indie/Slowcore 1996 Trance Syndicate
Download Beheaded
Indie is a word that is thrown around like it doesn't mean anything anymore, a word that is to soon have a cliche existence such as Alternative or Punk also live in. Indie as a genre defining term was first used in England to describe late eighties independent musicians such as Lush, Primal Scream, The Cure, The Smiths, Jesus And Mary Chain and such bands. These bands were truly independent and creating a new sound and are now referred to as British indie and put into sub genres such as Shoegaze and Britpop.
America saw its birth of Indie music in early 90's acts such as Bedhead. Bedhead can be easily heralded as the most unrecognized influential band of the 90's. Their influences reach as far as Explosions In The Sky, to American Football, to Spoon, to A Weather, and to most any band that calls themselves Indie.
This album was one of the albums (along with WhatFunLifeWas) that helped solidfy Bedhead's importance to early indie and post-rock. It was released in 1996 on the Butthole Surfer's Trance Syndicate label.
Beheaded is a casual, dynamic, and polyphonic experience through many different themes. Bedhead's sound is created by three intertwining guitars, an often capo-ed bass, and backbeat drumming. Their songs are generally dynamic and have a mellow intro/verse/chorus/verse/chorus/loud climactic part structure (think Explosions in The Sky with lyrics). What also makes this band stand out is the singer's voice, which to me sounds like a combination of Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan and Velvet Underground's Lou Reed; which makes for an amazing mellow, alto, sort of raspy voice.
Thematically the album discusses multiple themes such as escapism, human relativity, and creative output and its reception by others. Not only does it convey these through lyrics, but also through song structure and compositional techniques.
For Listeners of: Spokane, Thee More Shallows, Explosions In The Sky, Spoon, Carissa's Wierd, Do Make Say Think, El Ten Eleven, Maserati
No comments:
Post a Comment