''Too Many Humans.....'' is the debut
studio album by the American
noise rock
Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extre ...
band
No Trend
''No Trend'' was an American noise rock and hardcore punk group from Ashton, Maryland, formed in 1982. They were considered anti-hardcore, with the members, especially guitarist and lyricist Frank Price, vehement about their abhorrence towards th ...
, released through their own No Trend Records in 1984 on
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
format. The album is known for its brash, misanthropic lyrics, as evident on tracks such as "Reality Breakdown" and "Mindless Little Insects". It has been described as "nightmarish" and has been compared to other noisy bands such as
Flipper and
Public Image Ltd
Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and d ...
. The title track would serve as inspiration for
Godflesh
Godflesh are an English industrial metal band from Birmingham. The group formed in 1982 under the title Fall of Because but did not release any complete music until 1988 when Justin Broadrick (guitar, vocals and programming) and G. C. Gre ...
during the recording of their 1988 album
''Streetcleaner''.
The album was long thought to never be reissued due to the supposed destruction of the original master tapes.
However, on May 29, 2020,
Drag City released a
box set reissue and remaster of the album, along with both versions of ''
Teen Love''.
Music and lyrics
The album has been described as violent, misanthropic, noisy, and mean-spirited. Most lyrics mock
punk subculture and the social normalities of human life; such as marriage, fashion, and so on. As vocalist Jeff Mentges mentioned in an interview:
...I've always been confused by why what music you listen to would dictate what kind of clothes you wear or what color your hair is. If there's a philosophy in the music you like, you can live by that, but I don't see why you have to be part of a clique, a scene, a movement.
The music heavily centers around Jack Anderson's basslines, while Frank Price's guitar riffs are mostly composed of high pitched
guitar feedback
Audio feedback (also known as acoustic feedback, simply as feedback) is a positive feedback situation which may occur when an acoustic path exists between an audio input (for example, a microphone or guitar pickup) and an audio output (for examp ...
. The closer track, "Happiness Is...", features multiple different looped sound samples, layered over a
funk-influenced instrumental. The song "For the Fun of It All" would later be rerecorded for the band's follow-up album ''
A Dozen Dead Roses''.
Track listing
Personnel
*Jeff Mentges - Vocals
*Jack Anderson - Bass
*Frank Price - Guitar
*Greg Miller - Drums
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
1984 debut albums
No Trend albums