Musician, journalist, author, presenter and owner of a very silly hairdo – John Robb has long been a vociferous defender of indie music and the leftie sensibilities that are traditionally associated with it (hmm, perhaps not Morrissey). The fact that he has recently teamed up with Southern Records to launch his own label, Louder than War, is unsurprising. The surprise is more that it's taken this long. Concentrating, for the moment, on single releases, the roster so far includes The Mebranes, Rats on Rafts, Deadbeat Echoes and Raised on Replicas.
Louder Than War's label manifesto states, "the singles will be released as seven inch vinyl because that’s the ultimate pop artefact, the perfect pop statement, and they will come as digital releases because we live in the 21st century and like to carry around a hundred thousand songs in our pockets and that would be tricky if it was all vinyl. The releases will come in a house brown card bag, include a full-colour insert and look great. We believe in style. A single is a thing of beauty from the music to the presentation. We believe in the power of rock n roll. We are proof that music is more alive than ever, the doom mongers can monger and we will get on with the music. We are truly independent – of market "forces", of industry "values", and of "popular" opinion. We will be heard by those whose ears and eyes are open. We are Louder Than War."
Nevertheless, for those whose posessions don't include 1950s hi-fi technology, there are YouTube videos.
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. – Aristotle
