Lost Sounds

Genre: Garage

Born out of the wreckage of the REATARDS and the rubble of the short-lived CLEARS, Memphis's LOST SOUNDS began in March 1999 in an orange 70's kitchen with an oversized space-aged 50's refrigerator. They were a 3-piece made up of Rich Crook on drums, Jay Reatard on synth, guitar and vocals, and Alicja Trout also on synth, guitar and vocals.

Before garage rock "broke out" into the world of MTV2, the foremost blueprint for what was to be the sound of the LOST SOUNDS was the Nuggets box set. But with a stockpile of analog keyboard previously collected for use in the new-wavy Sid barret-esque CLEARS and the Killed by Death/Bloodstains persuasion on members of the REATARDS an indescribable sound was forged. Rich, Jay and Alicja made haste and used these influences to fill a void between the both dying garage scene and suffering hardcore scene in Memphis.

Once the most hated, most bloody, and the least likely to succeed band in Memphis due to volatile personalities and uncontrollable drinking habits, the LOST SOUNDS somehow caught a few eyes in Buffalo NY. Two unsuspecting victims from Bigneck Records offered to put out an album after hearing home recordings and the first extremely limited 7" released on a brand new punk label from Italy Solid Sex Lovie Doll, which had turned some underground punk rock n' roll heads. The LOST SOUNDS then made MEMPHIS IS DEAD for release in 2000.  

As garage grew boring and restrictive for the band members' tastes, "the" was dropped off the front of LOST SOUNDS.  Coined "BLACK-WAVE" on their second full-length release in 2001 on Empty Records, LOST SOUNDS created their own genre. "Black-Wave" is a term created out of the genres black metal and new-wave specifically to describe LOST SOUNDS. LOST SOUNDS started to appear on Memphis's top ten bands lists, though always with a "DANGER DANGER Will Robinson" warning attached graciously for the weak at heart. The official birthplace of rock n' roll, home of the blues was actually gonna foster out it's weirdo child proudly to the rest of the USA.  

LOST SOUNDS grew an extensive new catalogue of songs. Songs grew more difficult, accuracy grew more important, and band members dropped the malaise of  alcohol-fueled inspiration for a purer more sober and precise energy. Songs developed backwards sounding mechanical beats, orchestrated breakdowns, and themes of apocalyptic fears simultaneously with non-conformist joy that they would not be contributing to the world's passive pathway to self-destruction. In 2002 Empty Records released RAT'S BRAINS & MICROCHIPS that covers themes like Revelations and the barcode implant (Breathing Machine) and Columbine gun-toting kids (Blackcoats/Whitefear). Radon, destruction, doom, technology, petty vanity, and Satan somehow formed a common theme of bitterness and frustration, yet is dispersed amongst rock 'n roll guitars and Newmanoid synth sounds to create a joyful cry of life and death.  

LOST SOUNDS broke up in 2005. Jay Reatard went solo, recording for In The Red, Matador and his own Shattered Records label. Alicja Trout leads River City Tanlines.  Rich Crook records as Lovers! Lost Sounds never recorded or played live again, and Jay Reatard died in January 2010. Fat Possum released a "greatest hits" album called BLAC STATIC in 2011.