Search - Missing Foundation :: 1933

Punk industrial manifesto

golgotha.gov | Texas | 10/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"MISSING FOUNDATION - 1933



Missing Foundation were a weird band that was sort of between a lot of the 1980s NYC countercultures. They were too artsy to be considered a punk band and too confrontational to gain praise from the art world. Their music was extremely repetitive, often consisting of only a single riff played over and over while frontman Pete Missing shouted a slogan when the mood was right. The closest musical comparison would be the Cop/Young God-era Swans sound, although Missing Foundation were much more overtly political. The album's title is meant to say that the United States in 1988 was on the same track as Germany was in 1933 (!).



This album is intense! It is the closest thing to a successful industrial-punk hybrid, with "no-wave" sounding guitars and heavy pounding percussion. Sometimes the instruments fade out during the middle of the track and come back in later; this has the effect of building up momentum for parts that would otherwise seem monotonous. The content of the lyrics highlights the tension between the citizens and the police at the time. On the third track, Missing screams "your privacy is being invaded, your privacy is being invaded!" In "Your house is Mine", we hear "I have a right to live in your house, I have a right to exist... at the same time!" You can imagine Missing on the sidewalk with a megaphone, barking out warnings before being carried off by the authorities.



This album and 'Demise' are the best Missing Foundation releases. Fans of this album might enjoy the album 'Gigs for an Imaginary Audience' by the Houston band Culturcide."