Main » 2008»September»5 » Negativland: Escape from Noise (1987), Helter Stupid (1989), and Dispepsi (1997)
Negativland: Escape from Noise (1987), Helter Stupid (1989), and Dispepsi (1997)
10:21 AM
Issued in 1987, Escape from Noise took the scope of A Big 10-8 Place
to even wider levels, touching on everything from how many time zones
Russia covers to a rendition of "Over the Rainbow" sung by a little
girl plagued with hiccups. Maintaining Negativland's blend of wit and
darker themes, it might have simply remained a cult classic were it not
for the appearance of the throbbing, creepy "Christianity Is Stupid"
and, a few months after the album's release, a mass murder in Minnesota
committed by a teenager against his family. Having seen tour plans fall
through at around the same time, Negativland decided to distribute a
fake press release hinting that the killer had in fact been arguing
with his parents over "Christianity Is Stupid," which resulted in a
slew of publicity and confusion over what the truth of the situation
was. Some condemned the group's actions as tasteless exploitation, but
Negativland preferred to think of it as an examination of media
assumptions, and the whole affair became the backbone of 1989's Helter Stupid.
The 1997 release of Dispepsi looked to be another
red-flag-to-the-bull effort, though whether out of foolhardiness or
calculation is up to the individual to decide. Regardless, Dispepsi, featuring the guest contributions of newest member Peter Conheim,
didn't bring down the wrath of Pepsi-Cola on the band's head even
though the cover art was clearly a riff on the distinctive brand's logo
while the content explored the very concept of advertising and its
potentially destructive nature.
Support Negativland, buy their releases directly from their website!
Seeland Records is owned and operated by Negativland to manufacture and
distribute our CDs, books, DVDs, t-shirts, posters and buttons , as
well as audio and video works by other so-called “illegal” artists. And
while you are welcome to buy our work as digital downloads, or find it
for free on various file sharing networks out there on the web, each of
our releases was meant to be listened to uninterrupted and in their
entirety, and nearly all of our releases come with elaborate packaging,
fancy artwork, extra texts and design that are integral to the concepts
of each project.
The "Helter Stupid" track has to be among the best and funny pieces of music I've ever heard. Bought it back in 1989 on CD, and know this 20+ minute track inside out. By far Negativland's best oeuvre!
