Oneida
Secret Wars

Sometimes it happens that I tell myself "...thank goodness albums like this come out!" I really get moved by this thought. Albums that few consider, that remain next to the CD players of a few aficionados. But now they're on de-baser, and I know for sure that someone among you will pick up this indication to discover the secret wars of Oneida.

I have a probably unachievable dream: if one day I could afford a long trip to the United States, I would have already planned the route. Ten cities, where music has played a starring role (at least for my taste). You know... N.Y., Washington, New Orleans, Seattle, L.A., etc... For each place, I would have already chosen people to meet. People who could make me experience the hidden, dark, intimate side of their city. And as you can imagine, these people should be part of a local band.

So, for instance, in New York, I'd like to meet Oneida. Bring them a gift of a box of spaghetti and a jar of homemade sauce (it seems they are very fond of Mediterranean cuisine), have a beer together, and then spend an evening in the city. Nothing special, I'm not interested in trendy places where you can meet everyone and everything. I'm interested instead in seeing through my eyes and feeling firsthand what Oneida translates into music, in their so acid and unruly manner.
I chose them in my improbable travel plans because, for me, they now truly represent New York City. I’m placing quite a responsibility on them, right?

Oneida consists of Papa Crazy on guitar-vocals, Bobby Matador on keyboards, Kid Million on drums, and Hanoi Jane on bass. What they do is not easily definable. Garage? Noise? Stoner? Punk? Indie? They are a band that deconstructs, that smashes, that dismantles genres into pieces and makes a single patchwork from it: noisy, jarring, disorienting, but very, in fact, quite thrilling. To get closer, perhaps their new excellent SECRET WARS (Rough Trade) alone isn't enough. Including albums and EPs, they've released eight in total. If you have the chance, lend an ear to EACH ONE TEACH ONE (Jagjaguwar - 2002), and ANTHEM OF THE MOON (Jagjaguwar - 2001). Masterpieces.

From Oneida, everyone finds everything. The garage of MC5 and Stooges, the psychedelia of Blue Cheer, the noise of Sonic Youth, the scratches of Jesus Lizard, the neuroses of Brainac, the fury of GvsB, the exuberance of Butthole Surfers, and the excessiveness of The Contorsions. A delight for me, I adore all these bands. These spontaneous and immediate musicians (their motto is: "first take, best take!") are also caustic, scathing, obsessive, but never oppressive. Intelligent people who know how to narrate the true America.

In SECRET WARS there's a track, Changes In The City, a long jam session that lasts a quarter of an hour. It’s a long trip, in which it’s easy to get lost, let go, lose the compass.

Listen to Changes In The City... you’ll understand why I would choose them as guides in New York...