Glenn Branca

"The Spectacular Commodity" is the second track from Glenn Branca’s landmark 1981 album The Ascension. Widely regarded as a pivotal work in experimental and no wave music, this piece showcases Branca’s radical approach to the guitar ensemble and his fascination with volume, alternate tunings, and the possibilities of collective sound.

Key Details

• Album: The Ascension (1981)
• Track Length: Approximately 12:41
• Ensemble Personnel:
  • Glenn Branca – guitar
  • Lee Ranaldo – guitar (future Sonic Youth)
  • Ned Sublette – guitar
  • David Rosenbloom – guitar
  • Jeffrey Glenn – bass
  • Stephan Wischerth – drums

Musical Style and Structure

• Features a dense wall of layered, detuned electric guitars, pulsing bass, and propulsive drumming.
• Moves through various tempos and textural shifts, incorporating minimalist repetition and driving dynamic escalation.
• Distinct moments of harmonic tension and resolution, with guitars split across different octaves, culminating nine minutes in as one guitar soars above the ensemble.
• The composition explores resonances created by high-volume, unison-tuned strings—a Branca hallmark—producing overtones and harmonics uncommon in traditional rock contexts.

Title and Thematic Significance

• The title "The Spectacular Commodity" references situationist theory, specifically the work of Guy Debord and concepts of spectacle and commodification in modern society.
• Originally written as a dance piece for Branca's earlier band, The Static, before being fully realized for The Ascension.

Reception and Influence

• The album was a critical and underground sales success, notable for its impact on the alternative and experimental scene of New York in the early 1980s.
• Influenced future luminaries of avant-garde and indie music, including Sonic Youth and Swans.
• The Ascension, including "The Spectacular Commodity", has been praised as “one of the greatest rock albums ever made” for its innovation and sonics, drawing comparisons to avant-garde figures like La Monte Young and Phill Niblock.

Context Within the Album

• Sits among five tracks that each explore the guitar ensemble as both percussive and melodic instrument.
• The five pieces recorded for The Ascension are seen as an expansion of Branca’s earlier innovations in the New York no wave movement.

Track Listing Excerpt (from The Ascension)

Legacy

• The Ascension helped define the sound world that would inspire American experimental rock throughout the 1980s and beyond.
• "The Spectacular Commodity" remains a touchstone for guitar-based experimentation, noise music, and minimalist composition.

Notable Facts

• The album’s iconic cover was created by artist Robert Longo.
• The Ascension has been included in best-of-decade lists and is featured in David Bowie’s list of favorite albums.

"The Spectacular Commodity" exemplifies Glenn Branca’s artistic vision: transforming electric guitars into instruments of orchestral scale and emotional intensity, while weaving in subtle social commentary through its title and overwhelming sound.

Tags