Speech Free: Recorded Music for Film, Radio, Internet and Television

Negativland

Released on 12/23/22 by Seeland
Main artists: Negativland
Genre: Alternative & Indie

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Speech Free consists of instrumental versions of the tracks from Negativland's albums True False and The World Will Decide, as well as the related EP No Brain. The liner notes include a detailed list of all the sound sources that were sampled on the original tracks, which are absent on these versions. Negativland's usual recordings are filled with densely constructed meta-commentary, with these particular albums focusing on subjects such as social media and how it affects our mental health and our perceptions of reality. Even though the mosaic of vocal samples and the Weatherman's personality are seemingly inextricable from Negativland's music, the instrumentals are just as busy and intricate, and hearing them on their own is an engrossing experience in its own right. The release is packaged as an album of library music, intended for re-usage in other forms of media. There's simply too much going on during several of these tracks for them to be considered as mere background music, however, from the jagged avant-rock and generative synth work on tracks like "Is It or Isn't It" to the jaunty rhythm and playful melodies of "No Excuse." "Enjoying Life" includes the cut-up "Cadillac" vocal sample the group have been playing around with for a while, as well as the sounds of racecars and auto crashes, and the more ethereal "Don't Trust Your Memory" removes the sound bites from "This Is Not Normal" but retains the sounds of kids imitating dogs. "More Than One Answer" is a sort of squishy, circuit-bent funk workout, while "Every Song Ever Created" is a spacious, majestic procession that ends with fireworks and applause. A vast upgrade from the chintzy backing tracks of earlier albums like Escape from Noise, Speech Free demonstrates the sheer creativity of Negativland's musical arrangements.

© Paul Simpson /TiVo

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Speech Free: Recorded Music for Film, Radio, Internet and Television

Negativland

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