Dead Air (Heatmiser album)

Dead Air is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Heatmiser. It was released in 1993 on Frontier Records. The band supported the album with a North American tour.

Recording
Dead Air was recorded at Sound Impressions in Milwaukie, Oregon, and mixed at Whitehorse Studios in Portland, Oregon. According to Tony Lash, the Dead Air versions of "Bottle Rocket" and "Lowlife" reuse the basic tracks from their Music of Heatmiser EP demo counterparts, but feature new vocal and guitar overdubs.

Reception
Trouser Press wrote, "Dead Air is laced with hints of Fugazi, Hüsker Dü, and Helmet, although the record is not nearly as distinctive as any of those bands", describing it as "a textbook example of the strengths and weaknesses of early '90s indie hard rock. Particularly on 'Stray', 'Still' and 'Lowlife', the energy and urgency are enough to rescue the music from the merely generic. But just barely." The Rocket praised the "heavier ... bigger riffs" and "great hooks", noting that "happily there is no sense that [Heatmiser] is trying to recreate the sound of any specific era or band."

Track listing

 * 1) "Still" (Elliott Smith)
 * 2) "Candyland" (Neil Gust)
 * 3) "Mock-Up" (Smith)
 * 4) "Dirt" (Smith)
 * 5) "Bottle Rocket" (Gust)
 * 6) "Blackout" (Smith)
 * 7) "Stray" (Smith)
 * 8) "Can't Be Touched" (Gust)
 * 9) "Cannibal" (Smith)
 * 10) "Don't Look Down" (Gust)
 * 11) "Sands Hotel" (Gust)
 * 12) "Lowlife" (Smith)
 * 13) "Buick" (Gust)
 * 14) "Dead Air" (Smith)

Personnel

 * Heatmiser


 * Neil Gust – vocals, guitar, art direction
 * Tony Lash – drums, production, engineering, mixing, art direction
 * Brandt Peterson – bass guitar, art direction
 * Elliott Smith – vocals, guitar, art direction


 * Technical


 * Steve "Thee Slayer Hippy" Hanford – production
 * Bob Stark – recording, engineering assistance
 * Super Duper – digital editing
 * John Golden – mastering
 * J.J. Gonson – photography
 * Gustavo del Chucho Bravo – cover photo