MX-80 Sound is an eclectic American art-rock band founded in 1974 in Bloomington, USA, by guitarist Bruce Anderson. Considered one of the most out of step but prescient bands of its time, MX-80's signature sound consists of breakneck metallic guitar combined with atonal chord structure, cross-rhythmic percussion and dispassionate vocals. Notoriously difficult to categorize—the band has been labeled noise rock, post-punk, acid punk, and heavy-metal—MX-80's sonic melange set the stage for bands such as Swans, Sonic Youth, Codeine, and Shellac. After a musical journey spanning five decades, MX-80 Sound announces the release of their final opus, "Better Than Life," featuring MX-80's dense, extra-beefy sound, emotional guitar work, and free-associative vocals. For the album Bruce Anderson merged his rock trio, Rattletrap, with the talents of MX-80 Sound resulting in big bang sonics including two drummers (Nico Sophiea and John Morman), two bassists (Dale Sophiea and Chris Xefos), and two guitars (Bruce Anderson and Jim Hrabetin), along with vocals and horn by Rich Stim. In a remarkable feat, "Better Than Life" was recorded amidst the COVID-19 lockdown at 25th Street Recording in Oakland with Matt Boudreau engineering. The album was mixed by Steve Albini, in collaboration with MX-80 Sound, at Electrical Studios in Chicago. Sadly, Bruce Anderson, MX-80 Sound's founder, died in 2022.
