180 D'Gs to the Future

The Music of Negativeland as performed by The 180 Gs

Label: Seeland Country: USA

"Since 1980 (at least), the recombinant entity known as Negativland has been remixing everything, beginning with (and past the ending of) the received notion of "a band," with a monstrously ever-burgeoning sense of anti-corporate, anti-media-whore enterprise that extends and spins its tentacles around and through all the arts, for a start, so that of course "everything" becomes self-reflexive and for instance, in 2005, they (for it is always a they, shedding and attracting particles) sent forth, all around this great nation, "...a large visual art show of over 80 piece's [sic], of their 'fine art' works, video and home-made electronic devices..." And this rolling multiplicity was inevitably and inexorably named, according to the press sheet, "Negativlandland." The gravitational waves of such kinetic me-mass must have finally turned negative indeed, beyond attitude, to bring forth an a cappella breath of fresh air: the 180 Gs.

The Gs perform the audio pieces of Negativland, setting them to music. Not that the audio pieces of Negativland are not music, in Cagean terms of "organized sound," and not that this sound does not include patterned vibrations and connotations of "daa-dummm," and "plink-pliiink," but the Gs always make a nice set of tones and tunes. They (the Minnick brothers) sound young, and bear the first names of Negativlanders past and present, including that of Negativland's late, lamented chaplain, Pastor Dick Vaughn. Or perhaps it is Negativlanders who bear their names, for they (the Minnick brothers) sound "older," in a forever young, '50s-to-'60s, rhythm 'n' blues, rock 'n' roll sense: they take us on "a positive journey through a Negativland," leading all trouble into "media rubble," and put the f.u. back in fun, and the fun back in f.u. This is not easy to do, and on 180 d'Gs To The Future! (a CD included with a DVD, Our Favorite Things, which itself includes new videos for original Negativland audio performances and much, much more), there are Gs renditions that are a bit diffuse. Yet much fun comes, and not only from blithe spirit but also from a poise that suggests a degree of seriousness when appropriate.

Indeed, come to think of it, maybe they always do this: "Car Bomb" sounds flippant at first, as most of the Gs harmonize on a list of components which, considering the title, are likely targets (the "chorus" is a lone G's clock-like mouth-clicks). But the voices are so rich and agile, they also begin to seem like the kind of possible targets, components, worth caring about, never mind your car parts. (OK. Them, too.) There's no pathos to this, it's just-how it is. "I Am God" calmly juggles several approaches to religion, including the corrosively righteous. "The Greatest Taste Around" is from Dispepsi (a concept album which designated a certain soda as its devil driver), and may well have been intended by Negativland to satirize their own tendency to self-righteousness. But if performed by them (one suspects), it would or could sound merely ironic, too "white" a signal, pointing to itself. (Not bad, necessarily, but probably kind of like Devo's bobble-headed cover of Lee Dorsey's "Workin' In A Coal Mine.") The 180 Gs never sound "white," because of this sense of just-how it is. Whatever they think about it, they've seen it all. But they're still watching. (By the way, noting that the Gs share first names with Negativlanders isn't meant to suggest that they're all the same people: 180 Gs' David Minnick's urbane, twilight rumble is very different from Negativlander David Wills's rattling twang, which seems like it could be the basis for Negativland's tape-spliced, jump-cut drive, although they started without him.)[...]"-PaperThinWalls.com