Listen & Buy
Snog, hailing from the great continent of Australia, is the brainchild of DJ David Thrussell. Originally formed in 1988, they first hit the dance floors in 1992 with their classic electro hit, Corporate Slave, which combined elements of 90s electrodance with 70s funk and a strong anticapitalist message. This was followed up by their first full length CD, Lies, Inc., and two more dance hits, Shop, and Born to be Mild. Their lyrics show a strong disillusionment with the western ideals of materialism and mass ownership, a stance which is bound to enrage the "gimme" sensibilities of American capitalism.
Despite their apparently radical inclinations, David doesn't regard his lyrics as political, but rather as simple and rather obvious social observations. He doesn't claim to have any revelationary secrets, but sees his lyrics as a frank examination of our humanity struggling within itself.
Snog reppeared in 1994 with a harshly technofied sound, which defines their Cliche single. An Australian single, Hey Christian God was also released. which included material that was later used for his Black Lung project.
In 1995, David Thrussell officially began his Black Lung project, which has so far released six CDs, one of which, The Disinformation Plague is currently available on Metropolis. He also appeared with Pieter Bourke (of Eden and Dead Can Dance) as Soma, whose releases include The Hollow Earth and The Inner Cinema.
1995 also saw the release of Snog's second full length CD:
Dear Valued Customer, which furthered the sound explored with
Clich and the politics espoused in
Lies, Inc. If anything, Thrussell's antipolitics had become more western -- antagonistic, now tackling issues of religious domination and hypocrisy as well as socio-economic ones.
In 1996, Snog joined forces with Metropolis Records, releasing The Future, an EP of new material; Remote Control, a compilation/remix CD of Snog's work to date; and Buy Me...I'll Change Your Life, a successfully bizarre combination of electro and a vague country style of spaghetti western music.
In 1999 Snog returned to their classic electro sound with Third Mall from the Sun, filled with danceable electronics, controversial lyrics, and a cover bound to cause consternation in the corporate world. A re-mix CD for the album was released in 2000 titled Relax Into the Abyss, along with a double album featuring the re-releases of Lies Inc. and Dear Valued Customer together with bonus tracks.
Thrussell cites a number of influences in his musical styles, ranging from cinema to classic rock and folk to industrial music. Seemingly contradictory names such as Foetus, the Swans, Tom Waits, Cabaret Voltaire, Ennio Morricone, Kraftwerk, Lustmord, Pink Floyd, Leonard Cohen, Hawkwind, Nick Cave, Lassigue Bendthaus and Clock DVA appear on his list of musical influences; with film presences including Roman Polanski, Stanley Kubrick, Oliver Stone, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter, and an insatiable love of the "spaghetti western." He unabashedly supports the right of sampling, and openly promotes the sampling of his own material by other artists.
2003 was a busy year for Snog. First they re-immerged with the album, Beyond the Valley of the Proles. It featured eleven mellow electronic spaghetti western tracks similar to a mix of Lee Hazelwood and Leonard Cohen, rich musical textures, clean acoustic guitars, and David Thrussels deep bass vocals created a soothing atmosphere to calm the most restless spirit. Carefully merging electronic music with acoustic lounge pop, Beyond the Valley of the Proles generated a hybrid unlike no other. In addition to the auditory feed, Snog also presented his first piece of eye candy to the western world. The Adventures in Capitalism DVD was a collection of tuneful, sentimental music videos for your most relaxed viewing moments. On the must have DVD, Snog took a number of their most appealing melodies and tender ballads that have special significance for everyone.
For 2006, Snog presented Sixteen Easy Tunes for the End Times, a greatest hits collection of Snogs most influential works to date. Along with the 16 main tracks, theres a bonus section with 16 additional mp3 tracks, as well as lyrics and a poster and artwork gallery. Following the release came a brand new album, Vs. The Faecal Juggernaut Of Mass Culture, and three digital only singles: Crash Crash, The Kings of Hate and Planet Of Shit.
After almost forty live dates around the USA, Europe, Russia and Australia in 2006, Snog emerged from the recording studio in 2007 (unlike the Romans of which they sing) victorious. With The Last Days of Rome, Snog turned their back on their most recent outings of barbed satirical electro-punk and instead offer a new brand new album of historical narratives and charming tone poems set in palatable electro-pop surroundings. The album tells tales of the building of the pyramids of Egypt, pirates throwing their maps overboard, Roman Centurions, London being built in the Middle Ages, and more, all of which Snog promise us have no allusions to the modern global political climate. The follow-up EP, City, was released digitally on April 29th, 2008.
Recorded over 2008/2009 in Melbourne, Berlin and Prague, Snog’s newest release for 2010, Last Of The Great Romantics, is truly a landmark album. Like Radiohead’s Ok Computer and Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here (to both of which it has already been compared), Last Of The Great Romantics sees a beloved band at their conceptual and creative peak. From the blazing space-rock-ballad of opening track “We’re All In This Together†to the languid moog-boogie of “The End Of The World†to the disco-metal pyrotechnics of “Wargasm†Snog forge their own path and their own sound, bold, uncompromising and just a little bent. Recorded entirely in analogue facilities using a vast collection of vintage studio equipment with special guests including John Justin Stewart (Grace Jones), Neil Boyack (Angler), The City Of Prague Philharmonic Choir and produced by The Calculators (The Faint, Schneider TM) Last Of The Great Romantics is a lush, sincere masterpiece.
