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by David Wilikofsky
In Alternative Canon, we take a closer look at an obscure or underappreciated album from the past that deserves more recognition. Some of these albums may be hard to find, but they’re always worth the effort to seek out.
I recently stumbled upon the fact that Ono, Chicago music legends, had quietly uploaded their two classic 80’s albums (Machines That Kill People and Ennui) to Bandcamp. That is something well worth celebrating; both records have long been hard to hear or find, and hopefully their newfound accessibility will drive people to discover the early works of this band. They’re an essential part of Chicago and experimental music history, and one that more people should know about.
Ono began performing around Chicago in 1980. The group centered around lead singer Travis Dobbs and guitarist P. Michael, who continue to perform with a rotating cast of musicians under the moniker to this day. The group mixes noise, electronics and performance art together in their music. Early on, the band became friends with Al Jourgensen (of Ministry fame) who produced their first single. He helped hook them up with Thermidor Records, the label that ended up releasing their first two records. Although the band never officially disbanded, they didn’t put out a new album following Ennui until 2012’s Albino. They’ve since put out three more albums; the most recent of them, Red Summer, came out last month.
There’s a long interview with Travis and P. Michael over on the defunct Mutant Sounds blog that originally ran in Roctober Magazine. Perhaps the most informative quote of the interview comes from Travis: “…I’ve wondered many many times do I really like music at all. It’s there, but the things I like aren’t necessarily music. I love an environment of music, of sound…“. This idea seems crucial to Machines That Kill People. Although the sonic elements reference musical tradition (gospel tinged vocals, free jazz saxophone skronk, outsider electronic experimentation and surf guitar riffs are just a few things you’ll find here) they never coalesce into something easily identifiable as a song. Rather, Ono stitch together all these sounds (along with strategic usage of silence) to create aural environments for themselves and the listener to explore.
Ono never allows the listener to get too comfortable; tracks mutate in unexpected directions on the turn of a dime. “The Model Bride” starts off with static noise and robotic vocals, only to turn into a twisted riff on the Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA”. “O Jackie O Pt 1” moves like a funereal dirge, only to be followed by an acapella version of the same song on the next track. “X-Ray”, the album’s closing track, twists into many different shapes throughout its fourteen minute runtime. The album is an immersive listen; the cumulative effect feels akin to experiencing an art installation like La Monte Young’s Dream House. By the end you feel like you’ve entered Ono’s world and will want to return again soon.
Machines That Kill People is a challenging listen, but one that’s well worth the effort. It is not only a great album but also serves as an early document of a band that has stayed vital and relevant to this day. It’s not an understatement to say that Ono are making some of the most exciting contemporary music out there (seriously, after you check out this album listen to Red Summer). Whether you decide to work backwards or forwards through their discography is up to you, but don’t waste any time getting started.