Lilith
The archetypical noisy-neighbor-revenge album, this compilation documenting the Lower East Side's late-'70s No Wave movement is one of the most bracing adventures in rock music. Period. Produced by Brian Eno, the record features 16 tracks by four bands: Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars and D.N.A. (this last band actually featured graduates of St. Pete's Eckerd College). The sound is abrasive, from Contortions' unholy brew of avant-garde saxophone, jerky disco rhythms and shredded vocals to D.N.A.'s choppy, white-noise assault. Play this for bands today who think they're extreme and watch their faces wither.
This article appears in Jan 3-9, 2007.