Snog (band)

Snog is a band that was formed by Australian musician Dee Thrussell, along with fellow art school friends Tim McGrath and Julia Bourke in 1989.^[1] The band's music is a fusion of many different styles, including industrial, techno, ambient, experimental, funk and country music.^[2][3] The band name is a reference to "kissing and cuddling".^[1]

Snog
Origin	Melbourne, Australia
Genres	Experimental, EBM, IDM, industrial, electro-industrial, anti-folk
Years active	1988–present
Labels	Machinery Records Metropolis Records Zoth Ommog Records Shock Records Hymen Records Karmic Hit Psy-Harmonics
Members	Dee Thrussell
Past members	Pieter Bourke Tim McGrath Julia Bourke

History

Snog's first album Lies Inc. was released in 1992 and Pieter Bourke, who has since worked with Dead Can Dance and Lisa Gerrard, joined the band soon afterwards. The second album Dear Valued Customer, which drew heavily on techno influences, was then released in 1994. Also in 1994, the side projects Soma (Thrussell and Pieter Bourke)^[4] and Black Lung.^[1]

By 1997, the band was primarily a solo project for Thrussell, who collaborated with guest musicians on recordings. The next album release was Buy Me... I'll Change Your Life and country western-style guitar was featured, as well as a cover version of Lee Hazlewood's "Let the Little Flowers Grow". Third Mall from the Sun followed in 1999 and the album blended the styles of the previous two albums, in addition to new influences. Thrussell described the progression of Snog's musical styles in a 1998 interview with Sonic Boom Magazine: "In the past Snog has written a lot of dance floor material and while it has been successful, I kind of felt that I needed to write something different. I intentionally try and do something new with every Snog release. I do not want to get caught up in the musical trap of remaking the same album over and over".^[5]

Third Mall from the Sun was followed by the remix album Relax into the Abyss. In 2003, the album Beyond the Valley of the Proles was released and its follow-up Snog vs. the Faecal Juggernaut of Mass Culture was released three years later.

Snog continued to release music into the 21st century and the EP Everything Is Under Control (consists of remixes and the additional song "The Lament of the Lost Sheep") was released on iTunes on 25 March 2013.^[6] The EP was followed by the 23 April 2013 album release Babes In Consumerland and both recordings are part of a contract with the Metropolis record label.^[7]

A music video for Everything Is Under Control was published on the Internet on 19 March 2013.^[8] On 20 March 2013 Snog also released a 12" vinyl record with French record label M-Tronic entitled "The Plug-In Drug"; produced as blue-coloured vinyl and limited to 300 copies,^[9] the record features three songs from Babes In Consumerland, in addition to remixes and unreleased songs.^[10]

Politics

Thrussell's songs frequently contain themes of anti-consumerism, anti-capitalism,^[11] individuality and opposition to the idea of Big Brother.^{[citation needed]}

The albums Third Mall from the Sun (1999), Relax into the Abyss (2000) and Beyond the Valley of the Proles (2003), The Last Days of Rome (2006) and City (2008) featured artwork by Canadian artist Chris Woods,^[12] whose paintings lampoon the advertising tactics of major corporations such as McDonald's, The Gap and Nike.

Snog supports the copying of its music and^[5] depending on the recording label, many releases are designated copyleft (or "copyright-free"), as indicated by a crossed-out "©" symbol that is printed on the album case.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

In a 2008 review of The Last Days of Rome, Matthew Rich from Left Hip Magazine described Snog as "the greatest band at the moment".^[13]

Snog discography

• Corporate Slave – (12", CD Maxi) 1992 - Machinery
• Lies Inc. – (CD LP) 1992 - Machinery • (CD Album) 1993 - Id • (CD Album, Reissue) 1993 - Futurist, Machinery • (CD Album) 2003 – Ground Under Production
• Shop – (12", CD Maxi) 1992 - Machinery • (CD Single) 1993 - Id
• Born To Be Mild – (CD Maxi) 1993 - Machinery, Id
• Hey, Christian God – (CD Maxi) 1993 - Id
• Cliché – (CD Maxi) 1994 - Machinery • (CD Single) 1994 - Id
• Dear Valued Customer – (CD LP) 1994 - Id • 1995 - Machinery
• Dear Valued Customer/Live in the Global Village' – (2xCD) 1994 - Id
• The Future – (CD Maxi) 1995 - Metropolis, Id • (CD) 1996 - Zoth Ommog
• Lies Inc./Lies Inc. The Special Edition (2xCD) 1996 - Id
• Remote Control – (CD) 1996 - Metropolis
• ...Make the Little Flowers Grow – (CD Maxi) 1997 - Shock
• Buy Me... I'll Change Your Life – (CD LP) 1997 - Shock • (CD Album) 1998 - Metropolis (#14 CMJ RPM Charts^[14])
• Hooray!!! – (CD Maxi) 1997 - Shock • (CD Maxi) 1998 - Metropolis
• Dear Valued Customer/The Remix Files – (2xCD) 1998 - Rollercoaster Recordings
• The Ballad – (CD Maxi) 1998 - Shock
• The Human Germ – (CD Maxi) 1998 - Metropolis
• I Snog, Therefore I Am – (LP) 1999 - Hymen Records • (2xCD) 1999 - Hymen Records
• Third Mall from the Sun – (CD LP) 1999 - Metropolis, Hymen Records, Rollercoaster Recordings • (2xLP Album) 1999 - Hymen Records • (2xCD Album) 2001 - Equinox (#198 CMJ Radio Top 200;^[15] #19 CMJ RPM Charts^[16])
• Lies Inc./Dear Valued Customer - (2xCD LP) 2000 - Metropolis
• Relax Into the Abyss – (CD LP) 2000 - Metropolis, Hymen Records • 2000 - Hymen Records (#29 CMJ RPM Charts^[17])
• Justified Homicide – (CD Enhanced, Ltd. Ed) 2001 - Karmic Hit
• Adventures In Capitalism – (DVD) 2003 - Metropolis
• Beyond The Valley of the Proles – (CD LP) 2003 - Metropolis, Hymen Records, Karmic Hit
• Beyond The Valley of the Proles/Your Favorite Electro-Folk-Swingers – (2xLP) 2003 - Hymen Records
• Fill My Hole – (CD Promo) 2003 - Karmic Hit
• Your Favorite Electro-Folk-Swingers – (CD) 2003 - Karmic Hit
• Real Estate Man (The Rema[k]es) – (12") 2005 - [k]rack-troni[k]
• Real Estate Man Plus – (CD Maxi) 2005 - Hymen Records
• Crash Crash Rema[k]es – (12") 2006 - [k]rack-troni[k]
• Crash Crash vs. Remixes and Exclusive Tracks – (CD Maxi) 2006 - Psy-Harmonics • (AAC file) 2006 - Metropolis
• Planet of Shit – (CD Maxi) 2006 - Psy-Harmonics • (AAC file) 2006 - Metropolis
• Sixteen Easy Tunes for the End Times – (CD LP, Enhanced) 2006 - Metropolis, Solnze Records, Karmic Hit
• The Kings of Hate – (CD Maxi Enhanced) 2006 - Psy-Harmonics • (AAC file) 2006 - Metropolis
• Snog vs. The Faecal Juggernaut of Mass Culture – (CD Album, Enhanced) 2006 - Metropolis, Psy-Harmonics
• City – (CDr, Single Promo) 2007 - Psy-Harmonics
• The Last Days of Rome – (CD LP) 2007 - Metropolis, Hymen Records, Psy-Harmonics • (CD EP) 2007 - Psy-Harmonics • (AAC file) 2007 - Metropolis
• Vaguely Melancholic – (CDr, Single Promo) 2007 - Metropolis
• City – (CD EP) 2008 - Metropolis
• Last of the Great Romantics - (CD LP) 2010 - Metropolis
• The Dissolving Satellite of Egoism Overturned - (CD LP) 2010 - Hymen Records
• Everything Is Under Control - (CD EP) 2013 - Metropolis
• "The Plug-In Drug" (12" vinyl) – M-Tronic
• Babes In Consumerland – (CD LP) April 2013
• Cheerful Hypocrisy – (CD, Digital Release) September 2015
• The Clockwork Man - (12" Vinyl) 2015 - Metropolis
• Compliance ™ – (CD, Digital Release) October 2015
• Rich Kuntz - (Single, Digital Release) 2016 - Metropolis
• The Clockwork Man - (Single, Digital Release) 2016 - Metropolis
• Lullabies For The Lithium Age – (Vinyl, CD, Digital Release) April 24 2020 - Metropolis
• Eight Offerings For The Undead – (Vinyl, CD, Digital) Feb 4 2022 - Lightarmour Editions - Metropolis

Other

• Pearls Before Swine – Movie Soundtrack 1999 - (contributed tracks, alongside NON and Death in June)

See also

• Electronic music
• Music of Melbourne

• Steve Kilbey

References

1. "Interview with David Thrussel of Black Lung, Snog & Soma - conducted by phone 11/7/96". Sonic Boom Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
2. Collins, Karen. . Effigy Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 October 2001. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
3. Ben (DJ VSX). . KDVS Radio. The Associated Students of the University of California Davis. Archived from the original on 25 July 2001. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
4. Burns, Alex (1 July 2001). . Disinfo. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
5. "Interview with David Thrussel of Black Lung, Snog & Soma - conducted by phone 6/5/98". Sonic Boom Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
6. "Everything Is Under Control (Remixes) - EP Snog". iTunes Preview. Apple, Inc. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
7. "Everything Is Under Control (digital only)". Metropolis Mail Order. Metropolis Records. 2001–2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
8. Archived at Ghostarchive and the : rgrant (19 March 2013). "SNOG - Everything Is Under Control" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
9. "SNOG "the Plug-In Drug" officially released today the 20th of March". M-tronic. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
10. B. Van Isacker (20 March 2013). "SNOG present 'Everything Is Under Control' video from new 'Babes In Consumerland' album". Side-Line Music Magazine. Side-Line. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
11. Cameron, Dan (29 July 2007). "David Thrussell interview by Dan Cameron". Cyclic Defrost Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
12. "Chris Woods (3)". Discogs. Discogs. 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
13. Rich, Matthew (March 2008). "Snog - The Last Days of Rome". Left Hip Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
14. Helms, Colin (31 August 1998). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 55 (585). Great Neck, NY: College Media, Inc.: 31. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
15. Sansone, Glen, ed. (4 October 1999). "CMJ Radio 200" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 60 (637). Great Neck, NY: College Media, Inc.: 15–18. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
16. Comer, M. Tye (11 October 1999). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 60 (638). Great Neck, NY: College Media, Inc.: 27. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
17. Comer, M. Tye (16 October 2000). "RPM" (PDF). CMJ New Music Report. 64 (687). New York, NY: College Media, Inc.: 41. ISSN 0890-0795. Retrieved 25 January 2022.

External links

• Snog on MySpace