Sound Tribe Sector 9

“Art exists to show us the world in a new way. It’s a fiction that shines light on the truth. And because tension is an impetus for creativity, the best art is often produced in the most trying times.” –STS9

Much has been made of the title of Sound Tribe’s fourth album, Peaceblaster. It is a juxtaposition of words that seem to evoke opposite images. The same is true of Sound Tribe’s music, which combines live instruments with electronic sounds and sampling. It is also true of the era in which we live, a time of immense movement toward peace and the positive use of technology while new wars seem to be starting all over the world. Sound Tribe is a consciousness band, which is to say that while their music reflects the world around us it also projects the potential that is inherent in this time in history.

The trapping that electronic music can fall into is becoming extremely repetitive. While there are parts of songs that fit that bill, Peaceblaster as a whole, does not. The best music is that which is densely layered giving the ear a lot of places to go. This is something that STS9 does well, a quality which has served them well in both the live and studio formats. While the songs on their fourth album are, like most of their music, instrumental, there are a few places where lyrics appear in the songs, most notably on “The Last 50,000 Years.” Here they sing “we’ll find our own way,” which seems to be what they have done and the music reflects their journey. Even among electronic bands, STS9 has a unique sound that is as much a result of the clash in the members styles as it is of collaboration.

On Peaceblaster their music seems more accessible than their previous works. It also has a fullness that has been muted or missing on their previous albums. Perhaps it’s because, like the duality in the title, they take some darker roads right through to the light. They acknowledge the debt that we owe the hippie generation with “Peaceblaster ‘68” and follow it up with “Peaceblaster ’08,” showing us how far we’ve come, how far we have to go, and the lessons learned a generation ago.  This political and social theme continues in the songs and titles with, “Metamememe”, “Shock Doctrine”, “Hidden Hand, Hidden Fist”, “The New Soma”, and “Empires.” It’s this acceptance and exploration of the duality of our culture and the desire to affect positive changes that give the tracks on this album a more mature feel. They aren’t afraid to make some political statements along the way.

“Regeneration” begins with a teachers voice stating, “The current generation of kids are saturated by media…our culture shapes how we understand the world,” underscoring the importance of media in positive or negative social change. The last minute of the album in “Squishface” brings this teacher theme full circle as a student speaks at her graduation and states, “there is only hope through action. No one changed the world by sitting on their couch wishing that someone would do something…stop hoping for action and be action.” The companion website peaceblaster.com is an educational blog dedicated to positive social change and alternative media. Showing that, to the band, these are more than just words they put on their album. For having little to say with words, STS9 says a lot.

Highlight Track: “The Spectacle”

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