Very recently a debut record from a bunch of Chicagoan Generation…wait, what is the latest “Generation”? – anyway – three guys in their late teens and early twenties called Lifeguard was released, Ripped and Torn.
The title referenced an obscure Scottish punk fanzine which ran briefly during the late seventies, but it was how it sounded – the rawness of post punk, spidery art rock, gobs of unprocessed white noise – that was the revelation. How could those so young make noise so reflective of a time almost five decades previously?
The obvious answer is the boundary free world of streaming, the less obvious one pioneers like Geoff Travis, who founded the Rough Trade label off the back of his retail (A shop) and distribution (Records in a cardboard box delivered by hand) ventures from 1976. Far from the only to-be iconic label of the era, Travis and his collectivism stood out as values, but also because of their eclectic roster and willingness to treat music as art first, commerce later.
This collection is the first of a series celebrating the label’s towering legacy, curated by Travis and his long term foil Jeanette Lee. All of the material will be familiar to scholars of the period, but as if the chance to own a mint condition copy of Cabaret Voltaire’s Nag Nag Nag or Stiff Little Fingers’ Alternative Ulster wasn’t enough, this box set contains unseen photos and a commentary by the pair on a remarkable period in British music. There is no minimum age limit to listen.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 