mikl-em's combine

Two sides of the late Jason Noble: above a somber Rachel’s tune / below a sonically evolving 10-minute song by Shipping News live in Japan in 2006.

Jason Noble won’t make the big news website 2012 obituary lists. But he was a pioneering “Indie Rock” artist (however the hell you define that) with bands including Rodan, Rachel’s and Shipping News. More specifically he helped define the Midwest (specifically Louisville, KY) flavor of “math rock” (arty post-punk music with starts and stops, changing and avant time signatures and often alternating shouted and spoken vocals) and the broader “Post Rock” thing that essentially saw young indie bands composing sonic textures more than writing songs. Young and vital Art in music always a welcome contrast to the music as product establishment.

Here’s Pitchfork’s Obit for Jason from earlier this year after he lost his battle with a rare form of cancer at the age of 40. Proceeds from this compilation go to his family.