Site History:
New Artillery started in October 2001, one year after I folded Signal Drench, my online music magazine. Signal Drench, which began in the summer of 1998, did not survive an attempt to mirror then-rival Pitchfork’s move to a four-reviews-a-day format, in large part because I tried to write three of those reviews myself. After letting the site lay dormant long enough for most readers to assume the worst, I posted a fake obituary. The webmaster of a Dismemberment Plan fan site unfortunately believed the news of my passing. Oops. Signal Drench was a great learning experience, but I realized at the Insound Zinefest in the summer of 2000 that I wasn’t willing to make it my life’s pursuit.
Having briefly run a blog titled Recidivistic on my University of Illinois web space, I tried to avoid the rigidity of that site format when I started New Artillery, which led to a five-year war on focus. While certain elements have remained consistent over the course of New Artillery’s lifespan—concert photography, year-end lists, Juno fandom—I readily admit that little else remained consistent, particularly not updating frequency. I’ve always been tempted to return to the music magazine format, perhaps to the point that I viewed New Artillery as a temporary endeavor, but this site has outlasted Signal Drench by a wide margin. I’ll sheepishly admit that my newfound attempt to instill this site with a level of consistency is long overdue.
Site Intent:
New Artillery currently emphasizes how I approach, acquire, and hear music. In addition to the logistical matters surrounding this experience—whether I hear it on my iPod or turntable, which record store I purchased a given album from, how I heard about an artist—I am concerned with the process of taste-building. When I first started writing about music in the late 1990s, I wrote reviews and articles with the foremost intent of introducing readers to bands that I enjoy. While I still utilize this approach with certain memes (you will never be at a loss for Juno / Ghost Wars updates, I assure you), I am also interested in using this site to introduce myself to unfamiliar bands. I’ve never been particularly comfortable with the “instant authority” pose of most rock critics, so pulling the process back to its roots seems far more rewarding to me.
For those searching for a base for my tastes, here’s a relative arbitrary list of my favorite albums. It could have been much, much longer.
Accelera Deck - Narcotic Beats - Endorphin, 1998
Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen - Elektra, 1993
Archers of Loaf - Vs. the Greatest of All Time EP - Alias, 1994
David Bowie - Low - RCA, 1977
Built to Spill - Perfect from Now On - Warner, 1997
C-Clamp - Longer Waves - OhioGold, 1999
Castor - Tracking Sounds Alone - Mud, 1997
Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come - Atlantic, 1959
Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst - Dreamworks, 1996
Eluvium - Talk Amongst the Trees - Temporary Residence, 2004
Faith No More - Angel Dust - Slash, 1992
Frank Black - Frank Black - 4AD, 1993
Gang of Four - Entertainment! - Warner, 1979
Genius/GZA - Liquid Swords - Geffen, 1995
Girls Against Boys - Venus Luxure #1 Baby - Touch & Go, 1993
Hum - You’d Prefer an Astronaut - RCA, 1995
Jawbox - For Your Own Special Sweetheart - Atlantic, 1994
Juno - This Is the Way It Goes and Goes and Goes - DeSoto, 1999
Juno - A Future Lived in Past Tense - DeSoto, 2001
Killing Joke - What’s THIS For…! - E’G, 1981
Mogwai - Young Team - Jetset, 1997
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless - Creation, 1991
The Narrator - All That to the Wall - Flameshovel, 2007
Paik - The Orson Fader - Clairecords, 2002
Pavement - Crooked Rain Crooked Rain - Matador, 1994
Pinebender - Working Nine to Wolf - Lovitt, 2006
Pixies - Doolittle - 4AD, 1989
Steve Reich - Music for Eighteen Musicians - ECM, 1978
Rodan - Rusty - Quarterstick, 1994
Shiner - Lula Divinia - DeSoto, 1997
Shudder to Think - Pony Express Record - Epic, 1994
Silkworm - Firewater - Matador, 1996
Slint - Spiderland - Touch & Go, 1991
The Smiths - Strangeways Here We Come - Rough Trade, 1987
Smog - A River Ain’t Too Much to Love - Drag City, 2005
Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline - Kranky, 2007
Talking Heads - Remain in Light - Sire, 1980
Tungsten74 - Binaurally Yours - Technical Echo, 2006
Wipers - Youth of America - Park Ave., 1981
Wire - Chairs Missing - Harvest, 1978
I will occasionally discuss movies and books as well, but I intend on keeping unrelated personal information/updates off the site.
Personal Information:
Oh hello, I’m Sebastian. I live in Stoneham, MA, with my wife and two cats (only one of which is named after a member of Jawbox). I grew up near Poughkeepsie, NY, and went to college in Champaign, IL, before moving back to the east coast for my MA in English Literature. My non-musical interests include hockey (both playing and watching), photography, modernist fiction, and finding new storage possibilities for my ever-expanding vinyl collection.
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