Byron Coley

Who is Byron Coley?

Byron Coley is an American music critic who wrote prominently for Forced Exposure magazine in the 1980s, starting with their fifth issue until the magazine ceased publication in 1993. Prior to Forced Exposure, he wrote for NY Rocker, Boston Rock, and Take It! magazine. Coley is one of the first writers to have extensively documented indie rock from its inception to the present day. Coley was a contributing writer to Spin in the 1980s and '90s, and currently writes for the Wire and Arthur magazine with Thurston Moore. He also runs Ecstatic Yod, a record label and shop based in Florence, Massachusetts.

Coley has contributed liner notes to albums by The Flesh Eaters, Borbetomagus, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., 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 artists Half Japanese, Minutemen, Jandek, and The Holy Modal Rounders, in each extolling the genius of the subject matter. When he wrote The Flesh Eaters' entry in the Spin Alternative Record Guide, Coley stated that he considers "A Minute to Pray, A Second to Die" the best rock album ever recorded. For the 2007 Deluxe Edition of Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation, he contributed to the liner notes with a reflective essay on the legendary album.