Panicsville is the name of a noise unit apparently based in or around St.Louis, and they have a compact disc out now on the very respected Austin noise label Nihilist records. Their debut CD (after the glorious first LP) is called Floccinaucinihilipification.* Repeated consultations with brainy co-workers and friends yielded no convincing definition, but the sheer poetic beauty of the title is enough to yield a Top 10 hit. The music? That ain’t music man, it’s NOISE. Literally. Sheer orchestrated noise. The problem? Usually when one says a record is a Noise record, it’s immediately dismissed much like Abstract Expressionism is by the layperson: “ Anybody could do that-all you gotta do is splatter paint on the canvas and call it ART.” It takes work and practice to make successful, interesting noise (I know, it sounds ridiculous, but work with me here). At times Floccinaucinihilipification is gorgeous and exciting, at others it’s tedium times ten, and yes, often it’s loud, brash and utterly unlistenable. One of the highlights is a cut with tons of samples from the legendary Quincy episode (you know, Jack Klugman the coroner) about punk rockers in LA. Quincy on punk rock, circa 1983: “The music I heard is a killer. It’s a killer of hope; it’s a killer of spirit. The music I heard said that life was cheap, and that murder and suicide is OK”. Is Floccinaucinihilipification a great landmark record in the realm of noise? I haven’t the faintest idea. You can toss me a record by Masonna or Merzbow (two of the more recognizable names among the ranks of noise artists) and I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart, nor would I be able to offer any insightful criticism. Does Panicsville sound as interesting and textured as Masonna? Yeah sure, I guess. I don’t know. The title,you ask? Floccinaucinihilipification.

:: Randall Roberts
The Riverfront Times
March 19, 1997

*Floccinaucinihilipification - to belittle or demean others.