Headphone Commute

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Headphone Commute

I've been writing about instrumental, experimental, and electronic music for over a decade. In 2017 I decided to chronologically go through the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" list, taking individual notes on each one, whether I liked it or not. So besides my regular recommendations of the modern marvels, you may see a few cringe words on some albums that I wish I'd never heard. Follow the journey along!

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Headphone Commute's Album Reviews

And here is an example of an album that I'm absolutely grateful to have heard thanks to this list! Who are The United States of America and what exactly am I listening to? It's like a deranged version of Sgt. Pepper's mixed with even more psychedelia and experimentation from the likes of Zappa, Pink Floyd, and Jefferson Airplane! The music is whimsical, hallucinatory, and super groovy. There are even electronic "devices" on the album, such as custom-made oscillators and "variable wave shape generators modulating one another." The band was founded by Joseph Byrd and Dorothy Moskowitz and went on to get signed to Columbia through their friend David Rubinson for this one and only record! Byrd, by the way, studied composition in Stanford in the 60s, where he met La Monte Young, Terry Riley and Steve Reich. Later on, he relocated to New York City and continued his studies with Morton Feldman and John Cage, reportedly becoming Cage's last student. Byrd became a member of the Communist Party and started focusing on concept art forms. In 1967 he aimed to form "an avant-garde political/musical rock group with the idea of combining electronic sound (not electronic music)... musical/political radicalism... [and] performance art." All this, and much more, on this amazing record! I just may have to seek it out on vinyl after all!
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