Negativland adds voices to society

Negativland Dispepsi Seeland Records

Music recently doesn't seem to have much to say. Other than the Lillith Fair crowd's emotional outpourings and the pseudo-political rants of mainstream act Rage Against the Machine, there doesn't seem to be many messages on the airwaves today.

Except, that is, for Negativland, whose new album Dispepsi takes dead-on aim at the commercial culture we are attacked by constantly. Then again, it's hard to call Negativland exactly "music." A better term would be "audio collage;" they assemble tape loops, samples, and random sounds, occasionally overlaying them with actual vocals. But even when they do whip out traditional instruments, these guys can't exactly sing. That's not the point, though.

Previous albums featured an explanation about the origins of our national anthem in a drinking song; Rev. Ivan Stang proclaiming "Christianity is stupid! Communism is good!" and an insane-sounding guy listing off automotive parts, then yelling "CAAARRR BOOOMMMBB!!!" before the sound of a gasoline explosion (see Escape from Noise or Free for a good background of the group).

Their more recent album is tightly focused, however; it deals exclusively with the affect of advertising and the manipulation of the consumer market by focusing on Coke and Pepsi. It deals with celebrity endorsements and the nature of celebrity (a clip of Michael Jackson's Pepsi ad is followed by an announcer asking "Are you sure you want to use a celebrity?"); the strange way the "New Coke" fiasco resulted in a mass of free advertising (although at one point someone muses that perhaps the formula was changed for "humanitarian reasons"); and the Pepsi boycott.

It is a different style and takes some getting used to; however, it is extremely effective. It uses actual quotes and samples to attack the speakers. Manipulation of sound results in both humor and reflection. In many ways, this album is simply a consolidation of all the ads you are exposed to in a day. What effect do they have on you? Do they do more than simply attempt to sell a product - do they also reinforce archetypes and stereotypes, reduce artistic efforts to hucksterism, and inflate their importance to ridiculous levels? By picking a well-publicized battle between two products that were essentially the same, Negativland also emphasizes the utter stupidity of advertising-yet many take it very seriously.

When presented this way, it is very scary, and rightly so. Negativland is making a very important point about modern life, and it is one we should all heed. While Dispepsi is meaningful, it is also enjoyable, often humorous, and a repeat listen. Negativland is not a well-known group, but perhaps they should be. They actually have something to say.