As a longtime diehard Negativland fan, I was overjoyed to hear that the Bay
Area's over-edged ensemble was preparing a recording on a Pepsi
theme. But in no way did this prepare me for the riotous laugh-fest to be
found on their latest CD, Dispepsi. (The title of the CD appears
nowhere on the packaging or on the CD itself, to avoid possible trademark
infringement problems - no doubt they are still smarting from the
U2 debacle -
the title is anagramically scrambled in various ways wherever it's
printed.)
The first time I listened to this disc was on a work night, at1am, with the
headphones on (most Negativland recordings are best appreciated when heard
this way) and there were people sleeping nearby, so I had to
suppress any audible laughter. I was unsuccessful. In fact, I think I hurt
myself.
Certainly I'm a biased reviewer. Negativland is my favorite
"funct" (as opposed to defunct) band. I'm a completist; I have
all their "major" releases (and bought 'em again when they came
out on CD). I've even seen them live twice, a rare thing for an
east-coaster like myself. Their output has been directed primarily to a
miniscule audience of noise-appreciators. People entertained by
tuning across the AM band at night are candidates for Negativland fans.
Before Dispepsi, the Negativland album cited as their
"most accessible" was, invariably, the1987 release, Escape
From Noise
(the cover of this album touts it as "a milestone in the evolution of
the word 'accessible'"). But now,Dispepsi is the recording of
choice to introduce people to this bizarre group of media-skewering
iconoclasts. There are no fewer than four real songs on
Dispepsi; previously, the closest they got to a real
song was Nesbitt's Lime Soda Song on Escape From Noise,
and "Four Fingers" on the1983 disc, A Big 10-8 Place.
Surprisingly, these new songs succeed as musically,
lyrically, satirically, and parodically. It is almost as if Negativland is
saying to the world "here's a glimpse of what we could have done if
we'd bowed to conventional song-form...and aren't you corporations mad that
we don't write funny songs to your specifications?"
Now, there's still a lot here that would upset the more narrowly focused
mainstream music fan. Some of the songs could win them
some mainstream popularity but, as one friend of mine put it, there are
"still too many honks, blats and strange noises". To a
Negativland fan this is par for the course (too many? how could there be
too many?) but the uninitiated may react to some of the tracks like someone
once reacted to A Big 10-8 Place: "How can anybody listen to
this?" There is the usual multi-source noise barrage through much of
Dispepsi, but the stuff they throw in is hilarious,
pricelessly so. To properly appreciate this recording (and all those
wonderful honks and blats), it must be experienced with headphones on. The
editing and layering is masterful, and each successive listening reveals
previously unnoticed subtleties. Different parts stand out, depending
on whether one is listening with headphones or speakers (don't neglect those
headphones - can't put too much stress on that...). Even the packaging is
entertaining, down to the tiniest liner notes which include the new
Negativworldwidewebland address (they've moved from UNC to their own
server) http://www.negativland.com/, where you can enjoy all kinds of
amusing and enlightening tidbits along with a discography, and mailorder
information.
Now, to the disc itself. You pop the top on this can of cacophonous comedy
with The Smile You Can't Hide, a multi-sourced
introduction that might make some think "here we go with another
typical Negativland CD..." but if you can make it through those first
94 seconds, you reach the surprising Drink It Up, a wickedly
clever and funny array of plays-on-beverages that Pepsico could use as
advertising if they were hip enough. The comment that follows on the CD,
"how great was that? was it worth your money?" could be seen as
directed to the listener, or to a Pepsi executive. Why Is
This Commercial? is a more traditional Negativland, but
Happy Hero is a countryesque ballad that has its tongue
so far in cheek stitches might be necessary. Watch out, Garth Brooks. This
track has the best song ending I've heard since Zappa ended with the word
"fade" on the Uncle Meat record.
The next track, A Most Successful Formula, is my personal favorite.
I don't want to give anything away, but
I recommend not listening to this for the first time while driving or
operating heavy machinery, or
you risk accident from convulsive hysterics (even more perilously
funny with headphones). The Greatest Taste Around is
an upbeat Pepsi Negativanthem, and this track alone is worth the price of
admission. The next five tracks (7-11) are back to more
traditional Negativland (i.e., abandonment of conventional song
form) but Tracks 9 and 11 are set to driving techno dance beats and might
thoroughly screw with people's heads if played at a
rave or a drunken dance party. Track 12, Aluminum Or Glass: The
Memo, successfully synthesizes their usual multi-sourcing,
distortions, the Weatherman (David Wills), and a well constructed song that
simultaneously parodies and pays tribute to the form it satirizes.
This gem of a CD concludes with Bite Back, a musically brilliant
indictment of advertising and the consumer culture.