I'm not going to pretend I can take credit for this one, though it would be pretty impressive if I could. Actually, as a major music aficionado, I should have been aware for quite some time of Chicago public radio program Sound Opinions, one of the best pop/rock radio talk shows ever broadcast. Unfortunately, this has been a relatively recent discovery for me, something I'm trying to rectify now by catching up on the show's archived podcasts. Anyway, this refreshing weekly hour-long program is nothing if not pop culture catnip for those of us who derive serious life meaning from pop music.
Today while listening, I stumbled upon the obscure but recently newly active Louisville, Kentucky indie band Antietam. Oh, maybe I'd heard the name and possibly a few tracks from this band before, but my relative ignorance on most indie music-related matters had before today prevented any further knowledge. While I still have much to learn about this engaging veteran band influenced by punk rock but responsible for much sonic trailblazing in the general vicinity of noise pop, I got sidetracked this evening by Babylon Dance Band, the early-'80s group that morphed into Antietam. "When I'm Home" is a delightful slice of minimalist, angular post-punk that certainly foreshadowed a great deal of music that would not become common even in the American music underground until perhaps 15 years later. Naturally, then, only a small portion of the listening public had a chance to hear this music when first released. Even if the band wouldn't last the first half of the '80s, vocalist Chip Nold gives a biting, memorable performance on this tune. Somebody somewhere remembers the immediacy of this band's work; I'm just glad I know about it at all.
- Listen to "When I'm Home" in its entirety here.
- Top Punk Rock & Hardcore Songs of the '80s
- Official Website of Antietam & Babylon Dance Band
Single Cover Image Courtesy of Babylon Dance Band
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