A Single History: 1991-2001＜限定盤/White Vinyl＞

ワシントン州オリンピアのポスト・ハードコアトリオUnwound。すでに廃盤となっているシングル曲やコンピレーションに収録されていた楽曲などバンド初期の10年間の音源を集めた作品集。初期のポスト・ハードコア的なものからダブ風のデス・マーチまで23曲入りの2枚組LPとして登場。

Throughout their vibrant initial run in the 90s through the early 2000s, Olympia, Washington trio Unwound traced their growth not just by their phase-shifting studio albums, but also with frequently released singles. The 7" single with multiple non-album songs was one of D.I.Y. punks primary mediums at the time, and Unwound grew at a rate too fast to be accurately reflected on their albums alone. Originally released in 1999 as A Single History 1991-1997, this compilation collects songs from most of the bands 7"s, which had been released on labels like Kill Rock Stars and Troubleman Unlimited. This 2024 revision, A Single History 1991-2001, expands the track listing of the original with six additional songs that stretch into their later, more experimental years. The groups basement beginnings are represented by noisy, rocking tracks like "Caterpillar" and the early demo track "Crab Nebula" from 1991 when they were still playing with drummer Brandt Sandeno. The introduction of drummer Sara Lund in 1992 changed the bands sound completely, her calculated, nearly topographical rhythms adding new angles to both slow, protracted lurchers like "MK Ultra" and tense, furious, fast tunes like "Everything Is Weird." 1996s "Corpse Pose" finds the band exploring an intersection of fluid basslines and dissonant guitar blasts, and "The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is a Train" is a ten-minute collage of ambient backwards sounds, fragmented rhythms, and demonic voices. The washed-out dub of "Behold the Salt," recorded in 2001, shows just how far from their aggressive post-punk roots Unwound had wandered in the ten-year span before their initial breakup. While at times a bumpy ride, A Single History offers a comprehensive timeline of one of the more important bands to have come out of the bristly post-grunge American underground of the 90s. ~ Fred Thomas