Moss Icon were a band founded in Annapolis, Maryland in 1987. They disbanded a mere four years later, but not without leaving a legacy that only grew as the increasingly homogenous punk-rock scene they sought to subvert slowly became one with the corporate machine that said scene purported to rage against.

Moss Icon pioneered a progressive, highly emotive sound that stood in stark contrast to just about everything even remotely considered punk-rock at the time. In retrospect, they more resembled an inspired marriage of the bleak post-punk leanings of Joy Division with the raucous riffage of the Wipers, albeit considerably less accessible thanks to Moss Icon’s more sinister tone, Tonie Joy’s exploratory arrangements, and frontman Jonathan Vance’s almost stream-of-conscious sociopolitical rampages. Many of their lyrical themes – the diminishing separation of Church and State, and the United States’ military occupation of foreign countries, for instance – are even more relevant now than they were when originally committed to tape.

In the decades since Moss Icon’s disbandment, bootlegged t-shirts and patches have been easier to come by than actual recordings, and the Internet is filled with misconceptions and misinformation, incidentally lending an enigmatic, almost mythical status to the band. Rather than attempt to pull back the curtain, this collection – compiling the group’s entire official catalog – serves to permanently document the very important contributions of one very important group from a very formative era of underground music.

Moss Icon have also reformed to take part in select live appearances in 2012, including their previously announced appearance at this year’s Chaos in Tejas festival in Austin, Texas.

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