Thigmotactic is a 2008 album by sound collage

Sound collage

In music, montage or sound collage is a technique where sound objects or compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as montage, the use of portions of previous recordings or scores...

 group Negativland

Negativland

Negativland is an experimental music and sound collage band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. They took their name from a Neu! song, while their record label is named after another Neu! song...

. Unlike previous efforts by the band, it is primarily the expression of one member, Mark Hosler

Mark Hosler

Mark Hosler is an American musician who is a founding member of the sound art collective Negativland.- Career :Through his public speaking, lectures and extensive interviews, he serves as the primary spokesperson for the group...

, though other members contributed, as did Thomas Dimuzio. Hosler created the bulk of its audio content as well as the visual collages and assemblages of found object

Found object

A found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. Found objects may exist either as utilitarian, manufactured items, or things which occur in nature...

s that are pictured in the liner notes. It is also notable as the band's "first entirely song-based project" and features fifteen songs and two instrumental pieces.

The title Thigmotactic refers to thigmotaxis, an instinctive reflex in response to physical touch, as mentioned in a passage from Ann Zwinger

Ann Zwinger

Ann Haymond Zwinger is author of many highly-regarded natural histories noted for comprehensive detail and lyrical prose.-History:Ann Haymond Zwinger was born 1925 March 12 in Muncie, Indiana, the daughter of William and Ann Haymond....

's The Mysterious Lands about a desert lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

with this property. These sentences are excerpted on the inside of the CD cover.

Track listing

1. "Richard Nixon Died Today" – 2:24
2. "Lying On The Grass" - 2:03
3. "Extra Sharp Pencils" - 2:31
4. "It's Not A Critique" - 1:02
5. "Basketball Plant" - 2:46
6. "Two Light Bulbs Flickering" - 1:35
7. "By Truck" - 1:19
8. "Jack Pastrami (Flower Bum)" - 2:41
9. "Influential You" - 2:22
10. "Virginia's Trip" - 2:26
11. "Steak On A Whim" - 3:13
12. "Pork In The Store" - 3:14
13. "Perfect Little Cookies" - 1:55
14. "Kind Of Grumpy" - 1:59
15. "Your Skin Is Gelatin" - 2:35
16. "Omnipotent Struggle" - 2:46
17. "Rancho Pancho" - 2:28