United

Nations

Before someone told them

“The Ragin’ Reagans” was a terrible band name

GRINDCORE SUPERGROUP LIKE
IT CRASS AND STUPID

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE United Nations is the product of the overcaffeinated brains of Thursday crooner Geoff Rickly and Glassjaw barker Daryl Palumbo. This manic grindcore collective has been shrouded in mystery ever since initial rumblings about the project hit the Internet last year. The rotating cast of characters—all using pseudonyms—is so scattershot that Rickly can’t even remember who plays what on their upcoming self-titled full-length on Eyeball Records, but the album may or may not include contributions from Made Out of Babies bassist Cooper, the Number Twelve Looks Like You drummer Chree Conger, Revolver contributing writer Jonah Bayer, and Converge drummer Ben Koller.

VENOMOUS CONCEPTS Rickly and Palumbo have been friends since they were teenagers. United Nations is their tribute to the noisy power-violence bands who terrorized the house shows curated by a young Rickly (“Reversal of Man broke up in my basement. It was not pretty”). That means letting loose a little bile. “My contribution to the record was to look at music the opposite way that I look at Thursday,” says Rickly. “With Thursday, I’m really honest and there’s a lot of love. Not with this. I’m just gonna go at it like I don’t give a shit. Write whatever crass, stupid shit I can. As long as I can write and record it in a day.”

WE CAN’T WORK IT OUT James Cauty, formerly of rabble-rousing dance group the KLF and an artist who famously burned a million pounds on a Scottish island, graciously donated the album cover for the record—but you’ll never see it in stores. “All of the artwork for the U.N. record is fraught with copyright issues,” says Rickly. “It’s already been banned from all the distributors. We had to go with a completely black booklet. We started getting cease-and-desist letters. The front cover is Abbey Road, but the Beatles are on fire. The vinyl has Bugs Bunny with dynamite strapped to his waist. There’s some problems.” CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTEN