classic albums atsonicpark edition # 23: the ex - history is what's happening
 

THE EX "HISTORY IS WHAT'S HAPPENING"
1982, More DPM Records/Ex Records

The Ex are a band who have very few mistakes in their catalogue even though they explore quite a bit of territory; they sometimes dabble in improv, jazz, world music (including covering a national anthem on "Turn"), noise rock, and straight noise but they usually work best when focusing on punk. So while there may be some more accomplished albums in the Ex's catalogue, this is the one I usually put on when I feel like listening to them: it's just a straight blast of distorted punk that is extremely off-kilter and even a bit catchy. It doesn't waste time with acoustic interludes or noise breakdowns or something.. it's just a heavily distorted bass, really crisp military drumming, high-pitched treble guitar, and lyrics about anarchy and paranoia and such. An amazing listen and a totally underrated album with some of my favorite production ever. Check it out...

right on man! i had the pleasure of seeing them live last year, it was cooool.

yay! my third favorite alblum by one of my favorite bands!

By the way, have you guys heard Dog Faced Hermans? "Hum of Life" will be a future "classic album" post by me.

Totally awesome band, similiar to the Ex except with a chick singer and more surfy kind of guitar at times... (yes, surf noise anarchic punk guitar)

I'll have to check Dog Faced Hermans out.



I need to bake a sweet potato pie.

haha, I wonder how tasty that recipe is.

I'd put in 3/4's a cup of milk to be certain.

surf noise anarchic punk guitar, eh? sounds fucking awesome, i shall check it out imediatley.

Hahah, it's not AS cool as I made it sound but they certainly.. I can't explain it.. they certainly have their own style.

Actually, it sounds like perhaps Erase Errata listened to them a shitload before they decided to start a band.

the ex's singles.period has to be one of my favorite compilations ever. its actually my favorite record by them because it shows their evolution of a crass-like anarcho punk band with more standard rythyms and what not into a much noisier, much louder, much crazier punk band. other alblums by the ex i have much affection for are 'tumult', aural guerilla, joggers and smoggers, too many cowboys, and disturbing domestic peace. such a prolific and important band.

still sounds cool, i think errase errata is one of the better band we got these days, they rock it live too.

Haven't heard this one.
Starters Alternators is my favorite.

great great band, of the ones i've listened to, i find no wrong.

by the way, it's funny that pavement get so much flack for "ripping off" the fall when there was a period of time the ex were like three times more influenced by them, sometimes bordering on actual "rip off" territory and yet no one seems to even acknowledge it; not that it wasn't quality music.

i always thought the pavement rippin of the fall thing was ridiculous, sure theyre influenced by them, but what lo fi indie band wasnt? the fall were a post punk band who could make a whole alblums worth of 9 minute non boring songs. as great as pavement was, i consider them more or less as just an excellent rock n roll band. the ex mightve sounded like the fall at times, in their earlier phases, but they got more noisy and complex as their career went on.

i think the only pavement songs that are total fall ripoffs are conduit for sale (aka "new face in hell again!") and song 13 on slanted..

like i have said many many times before, pavement do a lot of musical references in most of their songs; but critics just love to call them the fall jr.