Best Underground American Noise Act of the Noise-Punk Era (ca. 1998-2005)

There was always something very "Vice magazine farm team" to me about this entire scene, maybe because it often seemed like a scene full of well-heeled Brooklyn "bros"

Which is maybe why the bands in this scene I liked best (Markers, Leopards, etc) were mostly the bands with prominent female members

is 'Brooklyn' now used as a synonym for 'people I find disagreeable for non-specific reasons'

given that almost none of the bands listed lived there or anywhere near

Slicer is def my go-to Wolf Eyes rec

is 'Brooklyn' now used as a synonym for 'people I find disagreeable for non-specific reasons'

given that almost none of the bands listed lived there or anywhere near

― these are my pincers and if you don't like them I have udders (DJ Mencap), Monday, October 26, 2015 4:27 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

a scene is more than bands, you know

and If you expand to "Brooklyn and NYC" and add Animal Collective and Black Dice (and Axolotl, who is missing for some reason), there are more NY-based bands on this list than from anywhere else

also, location of No Fun fest, location of Dom's record store, etc etc etc etc

lol new yorkers don't own everything

obviously this is covered upthread, but providence is the epicenter of this scene with significant outposts in the bay area, portland, new york, detroit, etc. and cross-over with a number of rock bands.

wait so the argument is "if you add these three bands from Brooklyn/NYC, then the list will have more bands from that area than anywhere else"?

don't forget "etc etc etc etc"

tbf, not sure why those three bands were disqualified in the first place. If it is because two of them are not "underground" enough, I'd definitely argue to expand the definition of underground a little bit. All three of those bands were ubiquitous in the scene around this time. Several of the members of these bands worked at either Other Music or Kim's, and most seemed to be at every show within 20 miles of the Pink Pony. To me it's fairly obvious that this scene sorta converged in NYC, with many people from those other, err, ports in Rhode Island, Baltimore, and Detroit / Ann Arbor / Ypsi moving to Brooklyn at some point during this time.

Obviously just speaking from my own experiences, but Brooklyn absolutely seemed like the noisebro nexus at the time.

i'll grant that the a lot of activity eventually converged around brooklyn (circa the last two years of this poll's title), but this was very much a national scene with bands of note throughout the east coast, midwest, and west coast. Things happen in other parts of the country too believe it or not!

Also I think it was smart to exclude those three bands because a poll that's "Lightning Bolt-20; Black Dice-20; Wolf Eyes-10; 12 random other bands-1," is boring and doesn't really do justice to the depth of this particular scene. Those bands really are great, but they're already generally regarded as such.

Also taking Animal Collective out of the poll prevented the thread from being post after post saying "Animal Collective sucks!"

gtfoh wimmels

the pull of brooklyn/new york in the 2000s is a larger story and not particularly "about" this scene imo

this was also an international scene w traffic between USA - Japan - UK/Europe - Wolf Eyes<Hijokaidan>New Blockaders

you can kinda say that about so many subgenres/ underground musical scenes with mostly white ppl though!

and Axolotl, who is missing for some reason

uh, these dudes were San Francisco/Oakland

that (one) dude lived in New York, and worked at Mondo Kim's in the village

at times the band was a duo, including people I know for a fact lived in Oakland and San Francisco. Maybe one of them relocated? People move!

lets def have a convo about who knew the guys in axolotl better

it would be more novel than discussing the merits of Black Dice or Animal Collective

OK, gang, I made some mixes for y'all that should do a decent job summarizing this period (1999-2006) as I see it. I tried to be as complete as possible, but obviously no attempt at a Rhino-style anthologization of a scene full of lathe records, tape labels and CD-Rs is going to be totally comprehensive...

First what's NOT on here:

Even though many bands were making records before 1999, this is definitely starts at Fort Thunder and works outward, since that's where the aesthetics of a DIY "noise-punk" scene coalesced. Too far before that and we're too deep into weirdo Albini-produced Midwest Skin Graft stuff, San Diego hardcore and powerviolence.The bands from those scenes who aligned themselves in the post-Fort Thunder world are included

I couldn't get too deep into serious harsh noise, power electronics and void-gazing dead Hansen/American Tapes stuff because the tracks are usually long, and the bummer vibes would break up the flow of the mixes, so apologies to Bloodyminded, Dead Machines, Hive Mind, Demons, Sick Llama, 16 Bitch Pile Up, Newton, etc.

Also, the psych-fried Arthur Magazine drone wing of this era swing to far on the other end of the spectrum for me, but would probably make a really good mix on it's own, shout out to Gang Gang Dance, Growing, Excepter, Double Leopards, No Neck Blues Band, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice, Electroputas, Axolotl, Skaters, Rac-coo-oo-oon, etc.

I had to be picky with the more post-punk and no wave stuff and Noise-Pop that was coming out at this time, and a lot of those decisions were made completely arbitrarily even though many of these bands rolled in the same very tight circles (I left off The Get Hustle, Godzik Pink, Deerhoof, Shopping, Liars).

It ends before 2007 since that was the real breaking point for the next generation of bands influenced by this stuff, which took it to way more colorful/happy/poppy places: Dan Deacon and the Wham City crew; No Age, Health and the Smell crew; Deerhunter, etc

Also, yes, I know there's two Canadian bands on here. Also, yes, I put a song I play drums on, which is a cornball move, but I couldn't resist.

American Noise-Punk Vol. 1 (1999-2002)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cu60dvsaa09619e/American%20Noise-Punk%20Vol.%201%20%281999-2002%29.zip?dl=0

1. Fat Day - Dance To The Best Music Of Today
2. Men's Recovery Project - Frank & Judy
3. Olneyville Sound System - Immigrant Radio
4. Landed - How Little Will It Take
5. The Flying Luttenbachers - P.A.L.S., Nipple-Clamped
6. Quintron - Mysterious Rangers
7. XBXRX - Untitled
8. The Locust - Bring Your 65 Italian Carbine
9. Lightning Bolt - 13 Monsters
10. Arab On Radar - Birth Control Blues
11. Erase Errata - Tongue Tied
12. Rah Bras - Fungry
13. Friends Forever - You Cannot Do This Out Here
14. Black Dice - Smile Friends
15. Wolf Eyes - Burn Your House Down
16. Metalux - Clap-Prison
17. Nautical Almanac - Male Mountain (The Horns Of Dionysus)
18. Sissy Spacek - Untitled
19. Forcefield - Untitled
20. Hella - Been A Long Time Cousin
21. Pink And Brown - So Long Special Treat
22. Sightings - I Feel Like a Porsche
23. Mouthus - Sandonsand
24. Orthrelm - Untitled
25. Touchdown - Nobody Likes A Nomad, Or, "Simple Folk"
26. Animal Collective - Forest Gospel
27. Young People - Ron Jeremy

American Noise-Punk Vol. 2 (2003-2004)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kehn1ehcywzl1l0/American%20Noise-Punk%20Vol.%202%20%282003-2004%29.zip?dl=0

1. Neon Hunk - Beefmastor
2. Lightning Bolt - Assassins
3. An Albatross - I Am The Lazer Viking
4. The Locust - Psst! Is That A Halfie In Your Pants?
5. Octis - Kralls 12
6. The Blood Brothers - Burn, Piano Island, Burn
7. Upsilon Acrux - A Quart Of Zolex
8. The USA Is A Monster - No More Forever
9. Tyondai Braxton - Stand There
10. Numbers - Insomnia
11. Die Monitr Batss - Hand Model Death
12. The Hospitals - Again & Again
13. Total Shutdown - Ka Ka Ka
14. Vincebus Eruptum - Who Farted
15. Noise Nomads - Untitled
16. Black Dice - Live Loop
17. The Mae Shi - Virgin's Diet, The Hand Of Wolves
18. KIT - Untitled
19. Death Sentence: Panda! - Tribal Boyfriend
20. Les Georges Leningrad - Supa Doopa
21. Aa - Static Rights
22. Yellow Swans - Police Eternity
23. Kites - Big Ponytail
24. Coachwhips - You Gonna Get It
25. Can't - We Are the World
26. Wolf Eyes - Stabbed In The Face
27. Hair Police - Open Body
28. Sightings - Dudes
29. Air Conditioning - Accusation, Denial, Denali
30. Rusted Shut - Hatchet
31. Burmese – Headmaster

American Noise-Punk Vol. 3 (2005-2006)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6y67brh1v17w0on/American%20Noise-Punk%20Vol.%203%20%282005-2006%29.zip?dl=0
1. Fathers Day - I Have So Much Respect For Women
2. Japanther - The Gravy
3. Clockcleaner - Missing Dick
4. Prurient - Silent Mary
5. White Mice - The White Mice
6. Mindflayer - Gore Gone Wild
7. Monotract - Paper Bag
8. Magik Markers - Most Beautiful City On Earth
9. Zs - Olympics
10. Child Abuse - Pre-Emptive Priapism
11. AIDS Wolf - Chinese Roulette
12. Gang Wizard - The Pretty Ape
13. Fat Worm Of Error - Lets Fool The Meat To Hassle The Room
14. Parts & Labor - A Great Divide
15. Neptune - Equestrian Fantasy
16. Erase Errata - Cruising
17. Coughs - Bunny Slope
18. Night Wounds - Less Dead
19. Silver Daggers - We Didn't Pay
20. Shit And Shine - Here Come The Vikings
21. Hototogisu + Burning Star Core - Untitled

dope

otm

Ooh!

very nice

Blood Brothers must be the only one on a major, yes?

That's a fucking dope list and a great overview man

thank you so much for this

amazing whiney, thank you

thanks whiney, this is really awesome

Thanks Whiney!

I guess brainiac was done by 1998?

the singer died the year before, yeah

these comps look like a very healthy balance between welcome nostalgia and shit that passed me by first time round, personally speaking

I think Death Sentence Panda! was more like 2005-06?!

Sure, but track is from the 2004 tour CD-R

I'm too old; my memory is for shit

this is dope thank you

Yes, thanks again, Whiney, especially for jogging memories of Olneyville Sound System and Aa.

Nice one Whiney
Nice one son
Nice one Whiney
Let's have another one

Thanks! I totally forgot about Neptune and their scrap guitars...

thanks whiney

this compilation is great, kudos to whiney for putting this together. it's wild to revisit some of this stuff again and seeing it historicised and especially remembering all the live gigs genuinely makes my heart ache. it's interesting to see how it seemed stateside as I only saw some of these bands play in the UK, where fitted alongside stuff like vibracathedral orchestra, all the noisey Sheffield/leeds/Manchester bands. there was a proper scene for it in a way I haven’t really seen since and yeah some of those ATPs were amazing

Yeah, this whole scene was a pretty huge part of my life for a good chunk of it. A historically interesting time, truly a one-of-a-kind moment that I feel very lucky to have been involved in. So yeah, thanks Whiney.

atp nightmare before christmas 2k6 4 liiiiiiiife

^Yep - also the Instal and Subcurrent festivals in Glasgow (later was David Keenan's noisefest, featured all the usual suspects like Wolf Eyes, Prurient, Hototogisu, Double Leopards, Mouthus etc etc)

latter

AMAZING!

I totally ignored this stuff while it was happening (mostly because I found the scene too impenetrable/daunting) so this is pretty interesting to dive into with next to no context.

irl lol @ "You Cannot Do This Out Here"

I bought that CD just to make the mix since i didn't think the Killball record was really representative of what FF "meant"