| Dead Air | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 27, 1993 | |||
| Recorded | Sound Impressions, Milwaukie, United States | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 37:01 | |||
| Label | Frontier | |||
| Producer | Heatmiser, Thee Slayer Hippy | |||
| Heatmiser chronology | ||||
| ||||
Dead Air is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Heatmiser. It was released in 1993 on Frontier Records.
Dead Air was recorded at Sound Impressions in Milwaukie, Oregon, and mixed at Whitehorse Studios in Portland, Oregon. According to Tony Lash, the Dead Air versions of "Bottle Rocket" and "Lowlife" reuse the basic tracks from their Music of Heatmiser EP demo counterparts, but feature new vocal and guitar overdubs.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Trouser Press | mixed [2] |
Dead Air has received a generally mixed response from critics.
Trouser Press wrote, "Dead Air is laced with hints of Fugazi, Hüsker Dü, and Helmet, although the record is not nearly as distinctive as any of those bands", describing it as "a textbook example of the strengths and weaknesses of early '90s indie hard rock. Particularly on 'Stray', 'Still' and 'Lowlife', the energy and urgency are enough to rescue the music from the merely generic. But just barely." [2]
Steven Paul Smith, known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. He had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies.
Frankenchrist is the third album by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys, released in 1985 on Alternative Tentacles.
Heatmiser was an American rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in October 1991. Consisting of Elliott Smith, Neil Gust, Brandt Peterson and Tony Lash (drums), they were known for their well-crafted lyrics and songs often featuring the juxtaposition of melancholic and cheery words and melodies. The pop-oriented songs of Elliott Smith were a contrast to the darker songs of Neil Gust, while both Smith's and Gust's songs touched on subjects such as anger, alienation, loneliness and despair.
Either/Or is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Either/Or was recorded in several locations, mostly in Portland, Oregon – while Smith was still a member of Heatmiser – and was produced by Smith, Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. Either/Or was released on February 25, 1997, on the Kill Rock Stars record label, following Heatmiser's dissolution. Book-ended by its two singles, "Speed Trials" and "Ballad of Big Nothing", Either/Or did not chart in the US, but was acclaimed by critics.
XO is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was recorded from 1997 to 1998 and released on August 25, 1998, by record label DreamWorks; Smith's first solo album on a major record label. Two singles, "Waltz #2 (XO)" and "Baby Britain", were released.
Elliott Smith is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was recorded from late 1994 to early 1995, and released on July 21, 1995, through Kill Rock Stars, his first album on the label. It was preceded by the single "Needle in the Hay", released in early January 1995.
Roman Candle is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. It was recorded in late 1993 and released on July 14, 1994, by record label Cavity Search.
Chairs Missing is the second studio album by English rock band Wire. It was released on 8 September 1978 by Harvest Records. The album peaked at number 48 in the UK Albums Chart.
Dandys Rule OK is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band The Dandy Warhols, recorded from 1994 to 1995 and released on 6 April 1995 by Tim/Kerr Records.
Stay on My Side Tonight is a five-track EP released by American rock band Jimmy Eat World through downloads on September 13, 2005 and physically released on October 4, 2005. It consists of three unreleased songs, a cover of the Heatmiser song "Half Right", and a remix of the Futures track "Drugs or Me". The title of the album is taken from a line in the song "Disintegration", the EP's opening track.
Figure 8 is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith, and the final studio album released during his lifetime. It was recorded from 1998 to 2000 at numerous studios and released on April 18, 2000, through DreamWorks Records. Preceded by the singles "Happiness" and "Son of Sam", Figure 8 was Smith's second release on a major label.
Samuel J. Coomes is an American musician, and one half of the indie band Quasi, along with his ex-wife, drummer Janet Weiss. Coomes was also a member of the mid-1980s underground pop band The Donner Party and replaced Brandt Peterson as the bassist for the 1990s Portland indie rock band Heatmiser, playing on their final studio album, Mic City Sons.
Lowlife were a Scottish alternative rock/dream pop band, active from 1985 to 1997. Although the group never obtained mainstream popularity, they developed a cult following that continues to this day.
Cop and Speeder is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Heatmiser, released in 1994 by record label Frontier.
Honi Soit is the seventh solo studio album by the Welsh rock musician John Cale, released in March 1981 by A&M Records, and was his first studio album in six years following 1975's Helen of Troy. It was recorded and mixed by Harvey Goldberg at CBS Studios, East 30th Street and Mediasound in New York City with the intention of making a more commercial album with record producer Mike Thorne at the helm, Thorne would soon be known for his work with Soft Cell. "Dead or Alive" was the only single released from the album but it did not chart. However, Honi Soit is Cale's only studio album to date to chart on the US Billboard 200, peaking at No. 154.
Yellow No. 5 is an EP by American alternative rock band Heatmiser, released in 1994 by record label Frontier between the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994).
No. 2 is an American indie rock band that originated in Portland, Oregon in 1996 and consisting of Neil Gust, Gilly Ann Hanner and Paul Pulvirenti (drums).
No Memory is the debut studio album by American indie rock band No. 2, released in 1999 by record label Chainsaw.
What Does Good Luck Bring? is the second and final studio album by American indie rock band No. 2, released in 2002 by record label In Music We Trust.
Lust is the third album by Ambitious Lovers. It was released in 1991 through Elektra Records. It was the band's final album.
