WhatFunLifeWas

Bedhead was an American indie rock band, active from 1991 to 1998, based in Dallas, Texas. Members consisted of Matt and Bubba Kadane (vocals and guitar), Tench Coxe (guitar), Kris Wheat (bass), and Trini Martinez (drums). The band released several EPs and three LPs on Trance Syndicate, touring intermittently. Bedhead's music was generally subdued, with three electric guitars and one electric bass guitar over sung or spoken vocals. Allmusic dubbed the group "the quintessential indie rock band," and ''Tiny Mix Tapes'' gave their final album '' Transaction de Novo'' a perfect 5/5 score.

In 1999, a year after the breakup of Bedhead, Matt and Bubba Kadane went on to form The New Year, a band with a style similar to Bedhead's.

History

Founding

The roots of the band trace back to brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane playing music together as children in Wichita Falls, Texas. They later began playing music together in Dallas, Texas. The brothers founded Bedhead after their father died from a brain tumor: Matt Kadane stated that a lot of their music was rooted in "an outpouring of grief... Bubba and I didn’t talk much about heir father's death But we played music together". Drummer Trini Martinez was the first addition to the duo's band in 1990, followed by guitarist Tench Coxe and bassist Kris Wheat. The band was formed into Bedhead in 1991. After playing their debut show in Austin in early 1992, they released two early singles on Dallas-based record label Direct Hit Records, one in 1992 and one in 1993.

''WhatFunLifeWas'' (1994)

In 1993 the band came to the attention of King Coffey, drummer of the Butthole Surfers and founder of Trance Syndicate Records, who signed them to Trance Syndicate shortly after hearing them. Bedhead's debut album, '' WhatFunLifeWas'', was released in 1994, to positive reviews. ''Sputnik Music'' gave ''WhatFunLifeWas'' 4/5 stars, and it received 4.5/5 stars from Allmusic.

''Sputnik Music'' stated that the album's themes touch on loss and depression, "but with a sense of the profound. ''WhatFunLifeWas'' is a modest album; slow indie rock with a hint of the epic, that draws upon its broodiness to create a serenely personal atmosphere." Allmusic noted the band's careful use of both loud and soft dynamics, stating "The various comparisons to the Velvet Underground, Joy Division, and Spacemen 3 all make a certain sense, but...Bedhead have much more of an individual sensibility...rather than simply rehashing."

They released two EPs before their second full-length, ''Beheaded''. The first EP was a one take recording at a small church on March 31, 1994 titled ''4-songEP19:10''. The group launched its first expansive tour in the middle of 1995, and released the EP ''The Dark Ages'' in February 1996.''

''Beheaded'' (1996)

Their second LP ''Beheaded'' was released on Trance Syndicate on October 24, 1996. ''Beheaded'' received 4/5 stars from Allmusic, with a positive review stating, "at the heart of the band is an indie rock sound that can be traced back to the most pleasant material of the Velvet Underground. A trio of guitars lays down unexceptional, strummed accompaniments; vocalists employ a reserved sing-speak; the drummer maintains a lazy pulse. However, with Bedhead these elements are so perfectly executed that the music seems to play itself. ''Beheaded'' represents another stop on the road to slow-burning, soaring, indie rock/pop perfection."

''Transaction de Novo'' (1998)

Their last LP, '' Transaction de Novo'', was recorded by Steve Albini and released in 1998. In a departure from their usual sound, ''Transaction De Novo'' featured more up-tempo, heavily distorted songs than its predecessors. ''Transaction de Novo'' received 4.5/5 stars from Allmusic, with a positive review stating "It's hard to imagine the group perfecting this sound much further." The album received a perfect 5/5 score from ''Tiny Mix Tapes''.

After Bedhead

Bedhead broke up shortly after the release of ''Transaction De Novo'', in 1998. After their breakup, the "Lepidoptera/Leper" 10" single was released in October 1998 on Trance Syndicate. This was followed by ''Macha Loved Bedhead,'' on April 25, 2000: a collaboration between the Kadane Brothers and Macha released on Jetset Records. After the band ended, guitarist Tench Coxe earned a PhD in Russian Literature from Columbia University. He went on to become a college professor, joining the faculty at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas in 2014.

; The New Year and Overseas

In the summer of 1999, the Kadane brothers formed The New Year and signed to Touch and Go Records. The sound of ''The New Year'' more or less picked up where Bedhead left off. Matt Kadane also played drums in the band Consonant (2001-2003) and piano, clavinet and organ with Silkworm (2002-2005). While still playing with The New Year, Bubba and Matt Kadane formed Overseas in 2012 with David Bazan of Pedro The Lion and Will Johnson of Centro-matic. Their debut and so far only album was released on June 11, 2013. ''The New Year'' have released four albums to date, the latest being ''Snow'' from 2017.

;Sigh of Relief

Since 2019, Bubba Kadane has released three bandcamp-exclusive albums of ambient and minimalist music with his solo project ''Sigh of Relief''. Abandoning the guitar-and-song format for electroacoustic soundscapes, the albums ''Injection'' (2019), ''The Dark Surround'' (2021) and ''Lifespan'' (2023) nevertheless employ the same distinctive, inimitable style and contrasting, stereophonic instrumental textures found in Bedhead and The New Year.

;The Destructors Club
In 2024, Bedhead's rhythm section, Trini Martinez and Kris Wheate, came out as part of the long-in-the-making ''The Destructors Club'', a project that also includes a.o. Britt Robisheaux, Big Youth, Scientist and before their passing recorded collaborations with the late Lee "Scratch" Perry and the late Mark Stewart (frontman of the British post-punk band The Pop Group). A first 12", ''The Destructors Club meets... Scientist'' was released a year after Mark Stewart's death to celebrate his life and his crucial work. The band straddles the line between post-punk and unorthodox dub and has a full-length LP in the works.

Chronology

Musical style and influences

Bedhead's music was generally subdued, with a polyphonic sound based on the interlocking of single-line melodies played by three electric guitars and one electric bass guitar (often played with a capo), nearly always using clean (undistorted) tones, prompting comparisons to the Velvet Underground. According to Matt Kadane, one major influence on their minimalist approach was the later work of Talk Talk, especially their album ''Spirit of Eden''.

According to Allmusic, "What distinguished edheadwas the way it combined ndie rocks modest ambitions with careful song construction and rock & roll's sense of grand dynamic excitement. This was the quintessential indie rock band because it delivered some of the best the genre is capable of: workaday vocals that actually work, gorgeous melodies (though uncommercial, this music doesn't have to be indigestible), and dynamics that could crush the listener."

The group's vocals were often delivered in such a low key manner that they could be difficult to decipher. This unusual sound was dubbed by some critics as "slowcore", referring to the slow tempos of many of the band's songs, though the band's members objected to the labeling in interviews. In reality, many of the group's songs only begin slow before building in speed, intensity and volume. Bedhead also experimented with time signatures less commonly used in rock music, by playing some songs in 7/8 or 5/4 meter.

Members

* Matt Kadane – guitar, vocals
* Bubba Kadane – guitar, vocals
* Tench Coxe – guitar
* Kris Wheat – bass guitar
* Trini Martinez – drums

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

EPs

Compilations

*2014: '' 1992–1998'' (5 LP/4 CD/DL box set) (Numero Group, Nov 11, 2014)

Live albums

*2015: ''Live 1998'' (Record Store Day LP edition titled ''Live In Chicago'') (Numero Group, LP: Apr 18, 2015; CD & DL: Apr 28, 2015)

Unreleased

*1995: ''Untitled Collection of Jazz Standards'' ( Leaning House)

Covers of Bedhead songs by others

Further reading

Bedhead Biography
at Allmusic

See also

* The New Year
* Overseas

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedhead
American post-rock groups
Indie rock musical groups from Texas
Musical groups established in 1991
Musical groups disestablished in 1998
Musical groups from Dallas
Slowcore groups
Trance Syndicate artists
The Numero Group artists
American indie rock groups