Negativland Speech Free: Recorded Music For Film, Radio, Internet And Television

What does a Negativland album sound like when it’s missing all of those voice samples? It sounds like Speech Free. A triple vinyl / double CD release of library music for advertising, this new album by Negativland has had every last trace of language carefully removed from the mix. But what does that really mean? Having become a rock music adjective for their work in mass media collage, where voices are seized from the airwaves and woven into musical conversations more true than anything that normally makes it on the air, Speech Free is a complete re-imagining of the music that was hiding in plain sight beneath the branded “cultural jamming” on their last two record albums. Entirely composed and performed by the band with an all-star group of guest musicians (including Prairie Prince, AVA Mendoza, Matmos and others), these productions explode out of even the tiniest speakers as some of Negativland’s most listenable barrages of pure ear candy yet—all they had to do was remove all of that speech! As marketing research suggests, these catchy tunes will work well as new jingles and musical beds, perfectly suited for voiceovers discussing anything from commercial products to political campaigns. Everyone knows that most target audiences regularly indicate a preference for moderately subversive content—and this release provides that audience with precisely the right amount, now that all of this “usable music” has been personally guaranteed by Negativland as Speech Free.