Last night, in the course of my tribute post to Trish Keenan and Broadcast, I cited U.S. 60's Avant-garde, electronica band The United States Of America as a major influence on their work.
In case a lot of you aren't familiar with this band, I thought it would best to give you an example to let you know they really did exist. Formed in 1967 by electronic music composer Joseph Byrd and several classmate friends at UCLA, USofA wasted no time securing a label deal and the fruits of their labor were born out in the release of their first (and only) release, the self-titled United States Of America. Despite a lot of excitement in the press and among colleagues at UCLA, the album sold terribly and the band would soon dissolve by the end of 1968. It was a good idea, and in retrospect, very much ahead of its time. But was it rock n' roll as it was marketed by Columbia Records? No. The album was popular in Europe and gained a cult following over the years. Broadcast is one of several bands who have cited USofA as a major influence on their sound, as well as pioneering bands like Portishead. So in retrospect, all was not lost and all was not in vain.
So here is tonight's track off that album, Coming Down.
