The (International) Noise Conspiracy
A New Morning, Changing Weather
Burning Heart/Epitaph
Release Date: 2001
The (International) Noise Conspiracy is one of those bands that I truly want
to love. Devoutly Marxist, nattily dressed and devastatingly intellectual,
The (I)NC should be the perfect messengers to the bourgeoisie of the
imminent revolution. The capitalist lemmings would no doubt dance their way
towards the collective ideal and social justice. Unfortunately, The (I)NC
often read better than they sound.
With their sophomore release, the formula for class revolution through rock
n' roll is just a bit off. While some tracks, such as "Breakout 2001," the
slinky "Born Into A Mess," and the cheekily-titled "Capitalism Stole My
Virginity," deliver the goods, much of this record reverts to the status of
remains from the Make Up or MC5 throwaway pile. Much like their Epitaph
debut, Survival Sickness, half of A New Morning, Changing Weather fades out
of memory as quickly as the other half gets your booty shakin'.
Perhaps the (I)NC's proletariat work ethic required that they release more
than one album a year, but had they simply edited both of these releases
into one streamlined assault on the system as we know it, we would have
surely seen the beginnings of a real revolution. Instead, we are left a
second satisfactory peek into the future of a very dance-friendly
revolution.
Live Review: The (International) Noise Conspiracy/The Hives
The Knitting Factory- NYC
11/17/01
A night with Burning Heart/Epitaph acts, the Hives and The (International)
Noise Conspiracy, would answer two important questions:
1. Can an activist/Marxist/revolutionary band still spout their "rip the
system" rhetoric to a post-September 11th NYC crowd?
And
2. Do the Hives really rock?
Question two was answered quickly. The Swedish quintet known as the Hives
came onstage unassumingly, plugged in, and proceeded to resurrect the
reportedly rotting corpse of punk rock, kicked it all over the stage and
made it shake its ass for the happiest 45 minutes of its existence. Mixing
the perfect blend of charisma, power chords and sneers, the Hives killed the
expectant crowd and left everyone wanting more. With MC5 riffs and Iggy Pop
swagger, the Hives proved that, yes, the hype is deserved, and, yes, the
Hives definitely rock!
As for question #1, truthfully, it seemed that there was a sense of
apprehension in the (I)NC camp regarding the 9/11 issue. And although the
incident was addressed, unlike past (I)NC shows, the revolution seemed to be
transmitted more through the songs than through the usual onstage calls to
action. But this didn't keep the band from rallying the troops. With
balcony scaling and mic swinging, head Conspirator Denis Lyxzen frenzied the
devout crowd, which of course reacted gleefully in kind. With Denis all
over the stage and the band tightly tied to the ground, the (I)NC again
delivered a show with enough energy and ideas to move the crowd both
physically and mentally.
-- Miguel Banuelos
banuelos@outersound.com
John Hendrickson is a free-lance music writer and guitarist for Noisy-Le-Grand. He's originally from Boston and currently lives in Brooklyn.
