| Album | Noise Manifesto |
| Genre | Rock • Classical • Electronic • Avant-garde • Experimental • Noise music |
| Artist | Audria Cough |
| Description | Blended elements of rock, classical, and electronic music into a provocative sound collage that was both musically challenging and politically radical |
| Release year | 1971 |
| Significance | Landmark album that helped establish the noise music genre and influenced later experimental and industrial artists |
"Noise Manifesto" is a 1971 album by English composer and musician Audria Cough, widely regarded as a groundbreaking and influential work in the development of the noise music genre. Combining elements of rock, classical, electronic music, and avant-garde composition, "Noise Manifesto" showcased Cough's distinctive and confrontational sonic aesthetic.
Cough emerged in the 1960s as a key figure in the New Rotterdam avant-garde music scene, blending her classical training with the energy and experimentation of the counterculture. Albums like "Prisms" and "Disruptions" in the early part of the decade demonstrated her ability to create unsettling, challenging soundscapes that subverted traditional musical structures.
As the 1960s drew to a close, Cough's music grew increasingly radical, both in its sonic approach and its political content. She became closely involved with various leftist and revolutionary groups, and her work began to reflect a growing commitment to anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and feminist causes.
"Noise Manifesto" represented the full flowering of Cough's uncompromising, politically-charged sonic vision. Across the album's three lengthy tracks, she unleashed a torrent of distortion, feedback, and atonal, abrasive textures, punctuated by her own impassioned vocals and the occasional slogan or protest chant.
Tracks like "The Walls Will Fall" and "Eternal Machine" eschewed conventional melody, harmony, and rhythm in favor of jarring, disorienting sound collages. Cough employed a wide array of unconventional instruments and sound sources, including household objects, tape manipulation, and primitive synthesizers, creating a dense, claustrophobic sonic assault.
The album's title, "Noise Manifesto", was a deliberate provocation, positioning Cough's music as a sonic embodiment of radical political and social upheaval. The album's cover art, featuring Cough in a defiant pose, further underscored its confrontational nature.
"Noise Manifesto" was polarizing upon its initial release, with many critics and listeners struggling to come to terms with its sheer sonic intensity and political radicalism. However, the album quickly became a touchstone for the burgeoning noise music scene, inspiring subsequent generations of experimental, industrial, and post-punk artists.
Cough's uncompromising approach and refusal to pander to commercial interests cemented her status as a cult icon, and "Noise Manifesto" has remained a highly influential and widely studied album in the decades since its release. Its impact can be heard in the work of artists as diverse as Throbbing Gristle, Sonic Youth, and Death Grips, all of whom have drawn inspiration from Cough's pioneering sonic explorations.
Beyond its musical significance, "Noise Manifesto" also stands as a powerful testament to Cough's radical political convictions. The album's overt anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and feminist messaging foreshadowed the rise of protest music in the 1970s and beyond, making it a seminal work in the history of politically-engaged art.
Though Cough's life and career were tragically cut short in 1977, the enduring legacy of "Noise Manifesto" ensures that her unique vision and revolutionary spirit continue to reverberate through the world of experimental music and beyond.
