I had the pleasure of “seeing” this performed live. The audience was urged to utilize their complimentary blindfolds to emphasize the “all in your headeded-ness” of the show, and also, as Negativland put it, to realize that you just paid 15 dollars to sit in the dark and listen to music. To watch them do what they do; darting about inserting and cuing tapes, reels, records, and samples is baffling. I made a specific point to pay attention, and I still have no idea what was going on. The overall perplexity of the audio acrobatics gets in the way of the much more interesting performance that it taking place in your head.
I closed my eyes and began to see a different dimension of the show. What transpired from then on was absolutely stunning. Negativland have dropped the shtick, the hijinks, and the spectacle, for a truly powerful audio assault on the subject of faith. Somewhere along the way, they have created a completely new form of presentation: something with the immediacy and the atmosphere of music, but with the intellectual impact of a lecture. It is a truly original piece of work they have put together, and, since it’s all in your head, the recording is nearly every bit as effective as the real thing.
This is not background music. This is serious stuff. You should treat listening to this album with the same type of attention you would give to a Bunuel film. Allow yourself the luxury to think about things. This record will take you to amazing places if you allow yourself to go.
Anyone familiar with Negativland’s output will be surprised with this new direction. I spoke with Mark Hosler who re-affirmed this fact, saying that this is the first show they have done since September 11th. After that, they all decided they had to put aside the copy fight and set their sights on something bigger. What they have accomplished shakes the foundations of faith to the core, and society shakes with it.
All opinions expressed by Andrew Lyman are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of Stay Thirsty Media, Inc.
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