Michael Barragan
| Plexi | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Godseed |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Noise rock, shoegazing, gothic rock |
| Years active | 1993–1999 |
| Labels | Sub Pop, Boys Life, I.F.A., Lava/Atlantic |
| Associated acts | Loaded, Mark Lanegan Band, Sweethead |
| Past members | Michael Angelos Michael Barragan Norm Block |
Plexi was an American gothic noise rock band consisting of Michael Angelos (vocals, songwriting, bass), Michael Barragan (guitar, Echoplex, Moog) and Norm Block (drums, percussion). No other members were ever in the band. Their original name was Godseed. Their sound has been compared to bands such as Bauhaus, Sonic Youth, The Cure, Bailter Space, Swervedriver, The Psychedelic Furs, My Bloody Valentine and Psi Com. The band combined a mix of detached, wry, existential, and romantic lyrics with a flamboyant blend of glam rock and artsy avant-garde textures and noise. Guitarist Michael Barragan was known for regular use of an Echoplex unit to create chaotic walls of sound.
The band members were known for their decadent appearance featuring black leather garb, heavy make-up, and arcane tattoos. These traits, along with their edgy, yet radio-friendly music, made the band stand out from other groups of its era. A blurb on the band in the 1997 CD Spring Lineup: A Compilation Of Sub Pop's Heavy Hitters read, "Embraced by the hardest rock enthusiasts and real favorites at the Viper Room, Plexi is L.A.'s freshest Noxema girl."
Plexi was said to have formed in 1993 when Michael Angelos, a former USC film student, met guitarist Michael Barragan in an L.A. bar and drummer Norm Block at a Taoist retreat. However, most of the band's inscrutable Sub Pop bio (i.e. a part about a Hasidic motorcycle gang) was fabricated for comedic value. In 1994, they recorded their first EP for the indie label Boys Life. As evidence of the band's dryly nonchalant humor, a 1995 magazine ad for the EP read, "If you buy only one album this year... Buy Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left." In a mere four days in January 1995, the band recorded a second EP. It was released by the Seattle label I.F.A., corresponding with a tour opening for Archers of Loaf. The EPs attracted attention from larger independent labels, culminating in their "discovery" by a friend of Sub Pop band Sunny Day Real Estate, Curtis W. Pitts. Plexi later claimed that "I.F.A." stood for either "I'll Fight Anyone" or "I'll Fuck Anything". Cats were prominently featured in the artwork for both EPs.
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