Granted it's subjective as far as if a sounds makes one happy, but is there a person/band that makes intentional happy noise? Not talking ambient, noise that is intended to evoke happiness, or has a happy theme to it?
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Wed May 24, 2023 3:03 pm
by SS1535
Emil Beaulieau
(This is at least my impression from live clips.)
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Wed May 24, 2023 3:52 pm
by luciferjonez
He certainly is a happy performer! Thanks for turning me on to his stuff.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Wed May 24, 2023 8:49 pm
by holy ghost
Sounds very basic but Incapacitants, CCCC & Hijokaidan seem like they're having a great time.
Listen to (arguably one of my top ten albums any genre) the Wolf Eyes & Anthony Braxton "Black Vomit" collab. They are having a GREAT TIME.
This concludes my ted talk on why groups and collabs are what make noise exciting for me. Because I like fun and I don't enjoy things that are not fun.
Not noise but if you haven't picked up on the Albert Ayler vibes you should, that dude was having a WILD time and his records are WILD.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Thu May 25, 2023 12:36 am
by Capers
Well, there is so much of this that it's hard to know where to begin. Good examples above!
And Testicle Hazard (Marhaug + Keränen) has maintained a jovial and cheerful air from the very beginning, in sound and even more so in imagery and themes. The 7" on Wendy, the CD on PACrec/Troniks and the LP on WCN are good examples.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Thu May 25, 2023 2:36 pm
by Happiness, forever
My own group, Dodge Jones Rage, is a non—negative noise outfit.
Noise for the Love of Noise!
What is happiness? I don't know if a coffee buzz makes me "happy", even if it makes me feel "good", "right", or even "high". I think even "euphoria" matches the latter terms better than it does "happy".
I'm not trying to seem pretentiously dour and melodramatic. But noise doesn't make me feel such complex emotions. "Happiness" in noise is less like a feeling of love or compassion, and more like a really good cup of coffee. It's invigorating, energizing. "fun". But hedonism and happiness are very different things to me. And my enjoyment of "invigorating" noise is mostly a very primal/non-cerebral/unsentimental thing.
Lots of noise is "fun". Lots of things in general are. But what makes me "happy"? Not much. Mainly the things that are in deficit. I do think the the process of making noise with someone else, feeding off someone else's energy/output, sharing and synergizing that high with someone else, gets me close. NOISEX. That's closer to "love" and "happiness". But it's very situational, feeding off one another's energy as opposed to getting high on your own supply, or getting off on someone else's home movies... I do think Incapacitants are pretty on-point as a recommendation, though.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 8:27 am
by Thomas_B
Proper music can be happy. I mean certain melodies or chord combinations elicit happiness/joy or even sadness/malaise/melancholy, but noise inherently doesn’t stimulate those emotions in the same way as traditional music, at least I don’t think it does. I’m not saying that you can’t be happy and make joyful noise. I agree there are acts in noise and on the fringes of experimental music who purposely set out to make people happy, Crank Sturgeon and Bromp Treb come to mind. In new harsh noise, Moozzhead, Vincent Dallas, The New Boyfriends seem pretty fucking happy, too. Lots of noise acts operate in and around certain themes, often dark but sometimes happy. Once you strip away the subject matter, noise is noise, and good noise makes me feel ecstatic, maybe even happy. When that harsh noise is loud and powerful and exciting and it’s bouncing off the walls, I definitely smile ear to ear - it doesn’t really matter whether the artist adorned the artwork with black and white collages of dead bodies or colourful collages of flowers or some other “happy” imagery. I get wrapped up in the sonics when it’s real good, and basically forget about the themes.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 11:16 am
by MuhSteve
A lot of 'noise' musicians make comedy records ....
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 11:23 am
by Thomas_B
MuhSteve wrote: ↑Fri May 26, 2023 11:16 am
A lot of 'noise' musicians make comedy records ....
Totally. Cock ESP, Evil Moisture, Smell & Quim, among others.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 2:32 pm
by Bubble-Congeries
Noise is fun. Or it can be. And often is! Or else relaxing, calming, distracting... It can take a lot of the pressure off. It can help one to forget things momentarily.
Cock E.S.P. were also one of the first names to come to my mind, even though they definitely fit more in the "fun" and not "happy" category for me.
Even in non-noise music, "happy" is a rare emotion. I do have a few gold nuggets that really encourage feelings of happiness, with little to no twinges of bittersweet melancholy. But even that is rare within "regular" music.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Fri May 26, 2023 2:48 pm
by Happiness, forever
MuhSteve wrote: ↑Fri May 26, 2023 11:16 am
A lot of 'noise' musicians make comedy records ....
VIOLENT ONSEN GEISHA!
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Tue May 30, 2023 1:28 pm
by luciferjonez
Bubble-Congeries wrote: ↑Thu May 25, 2023 9:44 pm
This is a weird question for me.
What is happiness? I don't know if a coffee buzz makes me "happy", even if it makes me feel "good", "right", or even "high". I think even "euphoria" matches the latter terms better than it does "happy".
I'm not trying to seem pretentiously dour and melodramatic. But noise doesn't make me feel such complex emotions. "Happiness" in noise is less like a feeling of love or compassion, and more like a really good cup of coffee. It's invigorating, energizing. "fun". But hedonism and happiness are very different things to me. And my enjoyment of "invigorating" noise is mostly a very primal/non-cerebral/unsentimental thing.
Lots of noise is "fun". Lots of things in general are. But what makes me "happy"? Not much. Mainly the things that are in deficit. I do think the the process of making noise with someone else, feeding off someone else's energy/output, sharing and synergizing that high with someone else, gets me close. NOISEX. That's closer to "love" and "happiness". But it's very situational, feeding off one another's energy as opposed to getting high on your own supply, or getting off on someone else's home movies... I do think Incapacitants are pretty on-point as a recommendation, though.
I find Mr. Blue Sky by ELO to be a happy song. I also walked out of my place on the morning of 9/11 and my first thought was "what a wonderful day" weather wise only to have a nightmare unfold 2 hours later. I can recall and reference happy moments, maybe that makes me an outlier? I also find happiness invigorating and energizing, but that's me. When I'm happy I'm more likely to do the arduous tasks in front of me without griping.
As Thomas_B stated:
Thomas_B wrote: ↑Fri May 26, 2023 8:27 am
Proper music can be happy. I mean certain melodies or chord combinations elicit happiness/joy or even sadness/malaise/melancholy, but noise inherently doesn’t stimulate those emotions in the same way as traditional music, at least I don’t think it does.
I agree that there is a disconnect with noise being able to emote the same way that conventional music can with chord structures etc...
As I'm trying to find the noise that connects resonates with me on a personal level I had to ask if happy noise was a thing as it seems that a lot of what I've come across thus far is dismal and pain driven.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Tue May 30, 2023 2:29 pm
by FrenziedDestruction
'happy' noise imo (some of this is pretty subjective... okay probably all of it)
crank sturgeon
emil beaulieau
the haters
incapacitants
gomikawa fumio
wasteland jazz unit
tralphaz
borbetumagus
thirdorgan (how can you be bummed out listening to noise based on the loch ness monster?)
pain jerk
government alpha
to me these artists are "happy" feeling, a lot of it gives a rocking out whoo lets go nuts punk vibe.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Tue May 30, 2023 3:17 pm
by holy ghost
FrenziedDestruction wrote: ↑Tue May 30, 2023 2:29 pm
rocking out whoo lets go nuts punk vibe.
This is exactly what I'm thinking about, not like a fake positivity or goofy slapstick comedy. Basically the opposite of PE where fun is forbidden.
Basically the opposite of PE where fun is forbidden.
Yeah & people into true cult black metal are just so goofy & non temperamental.
🤡
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:53 pm
by haldorsen
Thomas_B wrote: ↑Fri May 26, 2023 8:27 am
The New Boyfriends seem pretty fucking happy, too.
This was one of the first ones I thought of. Love these dudes. I mean it's so hard to not be happy looking at a goofy album cover like them in the towels or the cheesy ass grins in the fourth season. Also Total Sweetheart. Shocked they weren't mentioned yet, though I guess it is debatable whether or not their vibe is happy or more generally positive ("sweet" if you will), but I'd say that fits under the umbrella of the intended question. The specific emotion of happy, like others have said, is maybe not the right descriptor for any noise, but I totally get the sentiment behind it and would love to see more generally positive and lighthearted noise out there.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2023 12:42 am
by Bubble-Congeries
TNB, aesthetically, are a lot like Acid House Kings. Very Twee, but with a heaping dose of self-aware irony. But that feels very seperate from the music to me... or else, the visual vibe doesen't really translate for me.
Still, they are endearing.
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:38 am
by lovelife
Ok i just like stumbled upon this video recently and i feel like it belongs here, especially since Crank Sturgeon is already mentioned, but it's him doing a contact mic demo for Perfect Circuit and the description is silly and he is so cute and weird.
"What is a contact mic? What is a transducer? Can packing tape replace a violin or a cello? Is your neglected Slinky a dormant laser factory? Crank Sturgeon answers all of these questions and more"
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2024 3:29 pm
by SS1535
Nihilist Spasm Band!
Re: Happy Noise?
Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2024 4:45 am
by D345
I think "fun" noise would be better than "happy"? I'm never happy but I have fun all the time. Like free jazz fun, like something so good that makes you just wanna scream and laugh. Like the already mentioned New Boyfriends. (especially live)
here's something fun (so stupid it becomes fun?) I don't know