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Byron Coley is an Americanmusic critic who wrote prominently forForced Exposure magazine in the 1980s,[1] from the fifth issue until the magazine ceased publication in 1993. Prior toForced Exposure, he wrote forNew York Rocker,Boston Rock, andTake It![2] Coley is one of the first writers to have extensively documentedindie rock from its inception to the present day. Coley was a contributing writer and the Underground Editor atSpin in the 1980s and '90s, and currently writes forWire andArthur withThurston Moore. He has also run Ecstatic Yod, a record label and shop based inFlorence, Massachusetts.[3]
Coley has contributed liner notes to albums bythe Flesh Eaters,Borbetomagus,Sonic Youth,Dinosaur Jr.,The Dream Syndicate,Big Boys,Yo La Tengo,John Fahey,Steffen Basho-Junghans,Flaherty/Corsano duo,Urinals, and numerous others. He has also appeared in documentaries about musical artistsHalf Japanese,Minutemen,Jandek,The Holy Modal Rounders andBorbetomagus, in each extolling the genius of the subject matter. When he wrotethe Flesh Eaters' entry in theSpin Alternative Record Guide, Coley stated that he considersA Minute to Pray, A Second to Die the best rock album ever recorded. For the 2007 Deluxe Edition ofSonic Youth'sDaydream Nation, he contributed to the liner notes with a reflective essay on the album.
In 1990 Coley began the Father Yod record label in order to put out a Spaceman 3 record.[4][5] In 1993 the label partnered withThurston Moore's labelEcstatic Peace and began releasing records under the name Ecstatic Yod. This label operates a retail outlet inFlorence, Massachusetts. In 2006 it releasedOvO's recordSmut.
Coley is a publishedpoet and occasionally gives public readings of his (and others') works. He also wrote a biography ofChuck Norris that was published in 1986.[6]
In 2010, Coley became involved with Feeding Tube Records in Northampton, Massachusetts, a record store where he sells rare items from his personal collection.
In 2011, Coley published the first collection of his reviews,C'est la guerre : Early writings 1978-1983, in a bilingual edition put out by Montreal publisherL'Oie de Cravan.
