People Who Do Noise

[Lumpy]

Good documentary about the experimental noise music scene in Portland OR. Why do you play this kind of music, is noise the new punk rock, and other issues are brought up. Most everybody has something intelligent to say, and even the few who don't express themselves that well are still making valid points.

By far, most of the bands (a lot of them are solo acts) were new to me - like the hardcore scene, this is a regional, grass roots kind of thing - but some notable names are Smegma, Daniel Menche, Yellow Swans, and Oscillating Innards. It's only 82 minutes long (plus a few extras) - basically follows the format of interview, then live performance, repeat...

The biggest problem IMO is that the music doesn't totally translate, because it's not loud enough - it's really supposed to be a physical experience, and it's something best experienced at a live performance. If you're already familiar with the music, it's no big deal. But if you're totally unfamiliar with the music, you might not fully understand what is good about it, even after watching the movie. You lose some of the important sonic aspects, in regards to tension, pressure etc. Just one of the limitations of watching music on TV, I guess.

Netflix has it - it's worth a rental if you are interested in the topic.