A Single History: 1991–1997 is a compilation album by Unwound

Unwound

Unwound was a United States post-hardcore band based in Tumwater/Olympia, Washington. Formed in 1991, the band consisted of Justin Trosper , Vern Rumsey , and Brandt Sandeno , all of whom had previously been in a band called Giant Henry. Brandt Sandeno quit Unwound in 1992 and was replaced by...

 released on Kill Rock Stars

Kill Rock Stars

Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...

. It contains tracks previously released on various 7" singles and multiple-artist compilations. "Crab Nebula" and "Stumbling Block" originally appeared on the band's 1991 demo tape. The fourth song is a reference to the U.S. government's secret MK Ultra

Mk Ultra

Mk Ultra was an American alternative band that played between 1994 and 1999. The group formed in the Bay Area in the early nineties and went on to become a hit in local circles. Mk Ultra's career culminated in a national tour in 1999 but came to a rapid end when guitarist John Tyner decided to...

 brainwashing program. The "Negated"/ "Said Serial"/ "Census" 7" was the first-ever release on Troubleman Unlimited Records. "Plight" is a cover of a Minutemen song, from the tribute disc Our Band Could Be Your Life. "Seen Not Heard" is from a split 7" with Steel Pole Bath Tub

Steel Pole Bath Tub

Steel Pole Bath Tub was a hardcore punk/noise rock band, formed in 1986 in Bozeman, Montana by Mike Morasky and Dale Flattum .- Band history :...

; the song comes from the Repetition album sessions. Following an extended drum and bass

Drum and bass

Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...

-style intro, "The Light At The End..." features odd vocal snippets from a man trying to persuade some band to make upbeat, "tribal-sounding" aerobics music.

According to a Kill Rock Stars Q&A from 1999, the cover art is a composite of photos taken by drummer Sara Lund on the band's overseas tours. The top photo is of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice; "the train in the middle is from Japan, and the nuns on the bottom are from a religious procession we witnessed in Trani, Italy."

Track listing

1. "Mile Me Deaf" – 2:20 (1997)
2. "Broken E-Strings" – 3:11 (1994)
3. "Totality" – 3:07 (1994)
4. "MK Ultra" – 4:48 (1994)
5. "Seen Not Heard" – 3:41 (1996)
6. "Caterpillar" – 1:58 (1991)
7. "Miserific Condition" – 1:57 (1991)
8. "Everything Is Weird" – 2:52 (1996)
9. "Negated" – 4:36 (1994)
10. "Said Serial" – 2:23 (1994)
11. "Census" – 1:50 (1994)
12. "Plight" – 1:56 (1995)
13. "Stumbling Block" – 2:01 (1991)
14. "Eternalux" – 4:58 (1993)
15. "New Radio Hit" – 2:21 (1994)
16. "The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is a Train" – 10:10 (1997)
17. "Crab Nebula" – 4:06 (1991)