The (International) Noise Conspiracy (abbreviated T(I)NC) were a Swedish

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band formed in Sweden in the late months of 1998. The line-up consists of

Dennis Lyxzén Sven Olov Dennis Lyxzén (born June 19, 1972) is a Swedish singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for influential Swedish hardcore punk band Refused, as well as the bands INVSN and Fake Names. He is also a former member of bands ...

(vocals),

Inge Johansson Inge Rolf Johansson () (born May 10, 1977) is a Swedish musician. He is best known for his time playing bass in bands such as Against Me! and The (International) Noise Conspiracy, of which he was a founding member. Before forming The (Internatio ...

(bass), Lars Strömberg (guitar), and Ludwig Dahlberg (drums). The band is known for its

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

musical influences, and its impassioned

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

political stance. Up until 2004, guitarist/organist/keyboardist Sara Almgren was also a member of the band. Dennis formed The (I)NC almost immediately after the breakup of his former band,

Refused Refused (also known as the Refused) is a Swedish hardcore punk band originating from Umeå and formed in 1991. Refused is composed of vocalist Dennis Lyxzén, guitarist Kristofer Steen, drummer David Sandström, and bassist Magnus Flagge. Guit ...

. The (I)nc takes pride in blending the roots of at least four other bands, including Totalt Jävla Mörker (Johansson), Separation (Strömberg), Saidiwas (Dahlberg and Almgren), and Doughnuts (Almgren). In 2007, Inge Johansson also played in the band The Most. Influenced by a quote from 1960s folk singer

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and ...

, according to lead singer Lyxzén, the band wanted to achieve an ideal blend of music and politics that was, "a cross between

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and

Che Guevara Ernesto Che Guevara (; 14 June 1928The date of birth recorded on /upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Ernesto_Guevara_Acta_de_Nacimiento.jpg his birth certificatewas 14 June 1928, although one tertiary source, (Julia Constenla, quoted ...

." Furthermore, according to the liner notes of their debut album,

The First Conspiracy ''The First Conspiracy'' is an album by The (International) Noise Conspiracy. It is a compilation of four 7" records that were released in Europe earlier that year. It was first released on International Workers' Day in 1999 on the record label ...

, the band wanted to combat music's function as

Spectacle In general, spectacle refers to an event that is memorable for the appearance it creates. Derived in Middle English from c. 1340 as "specially prepared or arranged display" it was borrowed from Old French ''spectacle'', itself a reflection of the ...

. This is a concept taken from

Guy Debord Guy-Ernest Debord (; ; 28 December 1931 – 30 November 1994) was a French Marxist theorist, philosopher, filmmaker, critic of work, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situationis ...

's work ''The

Society of the Spectacle ''The Society of the Spectacle'' (french: La société du spectacle) is a 1967 work of philosophy and Marxist critical theory by Guy Debord, in which the author develops and presents the concept of the Spectacle. The book is considered a seminal ...

''.

History

First recordings

In 1999 the band recorded their debut ''

'' with

G7 Welcoming Committee Records G7 Welcoming Committee Records was a Canadian independent record label based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The label mostly released material by artists and speakers with a radical left-wing point of view. History G7 Welcoming Committee Records was ...

. Although hardly a commercial success, the album led to the band's recognition by the punk label

Burning Heart Records Burning Heart Records is an independent record label formed in 1993 in Fagersta, Sweden, and currently based in Örebro. It has a close affiliation with Californian label Epitaph Records, who own the rights to distribute Burning Heart's output i ...

(though the same label already had released records of some of the band members' older bands), and in 2000 they released the album ''

Survival Sickness ''Survival Sickness'' is the first studio album by the (International) Noise Conspiracy, released in 2000. Critical reception ''The Washington Post'' wrote that "even the Conspiracy's most energetic broadsides seem more well-meaning than incendia ...

''. Considered one of the finest examples of situationist-influenced punk rock, ''

'' saw the band pushing their

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

ary ideology with scathing lyrics and an infectious rhythm. Many of the lyrics are taken directly from the writings of members of the Situationist International especially Raoul Vaneigem's

The Revolution of Everyday Life ''The Revolution of Everyday Life'' (french: Traité de savoir-vivre à l’usage des jeunes générations) is a 1967 book by Raoul Vaneigem, Belgian author and onetime member of the Situationist International (1961–1970). The original title lit ...

. By 2001, the band had re-entered the Burning Heart studio to record their next album, ''

A New Morning, Changing Weather ''A New Morning, Changing Weather'' is the second studio album by The (International) Noise Conspiracy. Track listing Personnel * Ludwig Dahlberg – Drums *Inge Johansson – Bass, Backing Vocals * Lars Strömberg – Guitar, Ba ...

''. Taking advantage of Almgren's organ playing, The (International) Noise Conspiracy produced a record far beyond the realm of most punk groups. Using organs, horns, keys, etc., the band began to establish a reputation for eclectic instrumentation, which they would continue to cultivate.

Touring

The band's first tour outside

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, their homeland, went to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. They played their songs in illegal and hidden rock clubs while the Chinese police waited outside with guns and nightsticks. They also toured with

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance (commonly abbreviated to MCR or My Chem) is an American rock band from Newark, New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mi ...

in the United States. The band's lead singer describes their music as like

The Hives The Hives are a Swedish rock band that rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the album ''Veni Vidi Vicious'', containing the single "Hate to Say I Told You So". T ...

with added politics, as The (International) Noise Conspiracy have a strong

Situationist The Situationist International (SI) was an international organization of social revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists. It was prominent in Europe from its formation in 1957 to its dissolution ...

agenda in some of their work, such as 'Capitalism Stole My Virginity'.

Later recordings

Between 2002 and 2003, the ''Up For Sale EP'' (

Sympathy for the Record Industry Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 the R.I.) is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by Long Gone John. The first Sympathy release was the Lazy Cowgirls' ''Radio Cowgirl'' LP ...

) and '' Bigger Cages, Longer Chains EP'' (2003, Burning Heart/

Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, most acts signed to the label were punk and pop punk acts, while there are many post-hardcore and emo bands ...

) were recorded and the 16 March 2002 show in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

recorded and released by Tobby Holzinger (

Your Choice Records Your Choice Records was a German independent record label that was founded in 1988 by producer Tobby Holzinger. The label specialized in independent punk music, including live releases of German and other international acts.http://www.de.wikiped ...

) as '' ''Your Choice Live Series Vol.25''''. In 2004 The (International) Noise Conspiracy teamed up with famed producer

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...

on what would become their next album. Swedish jazz saxophone player

Jonas Kullhammar Jonas Kullhammar (2 September 1978 in Nacka, Sweden) is a Swedish jazz composer, saxophonist and is one of Sweden's most established jazz musicians. Career Since 1998 his main group has been Jonas Kullhammar Quartet, and he has participated o ...

temporarily joined the band on sax and keyboards and also co-wrote the songs. Organists

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

and

Benmont Tench Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early years Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin ...

also temporarily joined the lineup, as Sara Almgren left the band in order to play for the Swedish punk band,

The Vicious ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(later

Masshysteri Masshysteri ( en, Mass hysteria) was a Swedish Post-Punk band, formed in Umeå in 2008. The group consisted of Robert Pettersson (rhythm guitar, vocals), Sara Almgren (bass guitar, vocals), Kajsa Bergsten (lead guitar) and Erik Viklund (drums) H ...

signed the band on to his label American Recordings. In the end, the band released Armed Love in 2004. The inlay of the album pays tribute to the slogan: "¡O Bailan todos, o no baila nadie!" as written by

Tupamaros The Tupamaros – National Liberation Movement ( es, Movimiento de Liberación Nacional – Tupamaros, MLN-T), widely known as Tupamaros, was a Marxist-Leninist urban guerrilla group in Uruguay in the 1960s and 1970s. The MLN-T is inextricab ...

. The saying translates to: "Either Everyone Dances, or No One Dances!" According to The (International) Noise Conspiracy, they try to define their idea and music with this phrase. In 2006 the (International) Noise Conspiracy contributed a cover of "Shut Up" to

The Monks The Monks, referred to by the name monks on record sleeves, were an American garage rock band formed in Gelnhausen, West Germany in 1964. Assembled by five American GIs stationed in the country, the group grew tired of the traditional format ...

tribute album ''Silver Monk Time: A Tribute to The Monks'', which was released in October. In 2007 the band completed the recording of a new album. In an interview for Rockstar.tv on 28 August, the band said they were planning on naming their new album "The Cross of My Calling" and it would contain "mystical" lyrics with a more soulful sound, which will make its release on 17 November 2008, in Europe, and 25 November, in America. The fourteen-track album was recorded with producer Rick Rubin through Burning Heart, American and Vagrant Records.

Members

*Sara Almgren —

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

(1998–2004) *Ludwig Dahlberg —

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

(1998–2009) *

—

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

(1998–2009) *

—

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

(1998–2009) *Lars Strömberg —

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, backing vocals (1998–2009)

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (1999,

) *''

'' (2000, Burning Heart/

Epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

) * ''

'' (2001, Burning Heart/Epitaph) * '' Armed Love'' (2004, Burning Heart/ American Recordings) * '' The Cross of My Calling'' (2008, Burning Heart/Vagrant/American Recordings)

Live albums

* ''

Your Choice Live Series 025 ''Your Choice Live Series 025'' is an album by The (International) Noise Conspiracy. It was recorded live at "Schlachthof" in Bremen the 16th of March 2002 and is the first full-length live album by The (International) Noise Conspiracy, produced ...

'' (2002,

) * ''Live at Oslo Jazz Festival'' (2003, Moserobie Music Production) * ''(Live EP)'' (2005, American Recordings)

EPs and Singles

* ''The First Conspiracy 7"'' (1999, Premonition Records) * ''Abolish Work 7"'' (1999, The Black Mask Collective) * ''T.I.M.E.B.O.M.B. 7"'' (1999, Carcrash Records) * ''The Subversive Sound of the Conspiracy 7"'' (1999, Trans Solar Records) * ''Smash It Up EP'' (2000,

Big Wheel Recreation Big Wheel Recreation was an independent record label based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was formed in the fall of 1994 by Rama Mayo and Dickie Cummings. Started as a hobby, Big Wheel became a fully functioning record label in 199 ...

) * ''The Reproduction of Death EP'' (2001,

Sub Pop Records Sub is a common abbreviation of words beginning with the prefix "sub-". Sub or SUB may also refer to Places * Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Indonesia, IATA code SUB Computing and technology * , an HTML tag for subscript * SUB designat ...

) * ''Capitalism Stole My Virginity EP'' (2001,

) * ''Up For Sale EP'' (2002,

) * '' Bigger Cages, Longer Chains EP'' (2003,

) * ''Black Mask EP'' (2004,

) (#92 UK) * ''A Small Demand EP'' (2004,

)

Compilations/Other

* ''

'' (1999,

G7 Welcoming Committee G7 Welcoming Committee Records was a Canadian independent record label based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The label mostly released material by artists and speakers with a radical left-wing point of view. History G7 Welcoming Committee Records was f ...

) * ''Separation / T(I)NC'' (1999 split with Separation, The Black Mask Collective,

Busted Heads Records Busted Heads Records was an independent record label operating between 1997 and 2004 in Umeå, Sweden. It released records by both local and worldwide punk and hardcore bands. The label was run by Christoffer Röstlund Jonsson, then bass player wi ...

) * ''

Take Penacilin Now ''Take Penacilin Now'' is a 2005 compilation album released on G7 Welcoming Committee Records. The compilation features almost every artist that has released material on the label. It features a new exclusive track from Propagandhi, unreleased tra ...

'' (2005 compilation,

) * ''

Rock Against Bush Vol. 2 ''Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2'' is the second Rock Against Bush compilation album released on the Fat Wreck Chords record label. It contains a collection of songs by various punk rock artists, some of which were previously unreleased. It also incl ...

'' (2004 compilation,

Fat Wreck Chords Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike) in 1990. The label has released mater ...

) * ''

Silver Monk Time ''Silver Monk Time'' is a tribute album inspired by the German-American beat band the Monks. It also serves as the soundtrack to '' Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback'', a 2006 documentary film about the band. The record was produced and compiled by ...

: A Tribute to the Monks'' (2006 compilation, Play Loud!)The Fall, Raincoats, Faust Pay Tribute to the Monks , Pitchfork
* ''

Punk-o-Rama (vol. 7) ''Punk-O-Rama'' was the title given to a series of ten compilation albums published by Epitaph Records. The first volume was released in 1994, the second in 1996, and the rest annually from 1998 to 2005. The albums included artists from Epitaph' ...

'' (2001)

Videography

* "Smash It Up" * "The Reproduction of Death" * "Capitalism Stole My Virginity" * "Up For Sale" * "Black Mask" * "A Small Demand"

References

External links

* *
Live Pictures of TINC from 07.12.2008 in Switzerland
from Poorboys on The Road
Live Pictures Of T(I)NC

Interview and live-videos at wenn's rockt! WebTV

Record Label

Your Choice Records - Official site

Dennis and Inges' record label Ny Våg

Lars and Ludwig talk about their favorite songsThe (International) Noise Conspiracy's New Track "Arm Yourself"
{{DEFAULTSORT:International Noise Conspiracy, The Epitaph Records artists G7 Welcoming Committee Records artists Garage punk groups Refused Swedish communists Swedish indie rock groups Swedish punk rock groups Sympathy for the Record Industry artists Burning Heart Records artists Political music groups English-language singers from Sweden 1998 establishments in Sweden

History

First recordings

Touring

Later recordings

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

EPs and Singles

Compilations/Other

Videography

See also

References

External links