Post-Punk
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the post-punk music genre.
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Gang of Four – “Solid Gold”
Gang of Four were one of the pioneering dance-punk bands of the post-punk scene. It’s easy to see why on Solid Gold, with its funky bass and catchy, repetitious guitar riffs. While the album is a consistently high quality, nothing reaches the heights of “What All We Want,” which is now one of my favorite… (read more)
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Interpol – “Turn On the Bright Lights”
I just want to chime in and say Turn On the Bright Lights sounds almost nothing like Joy Division, other than possibly Paul Banks’s freak-out vocal delivery at some parts, and a comparison that simple can find a parallel with other vocalists even before the time of Ian Curtis throughout the earliest new wave movement. Joy Division’s guitars… (read more)
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My Bloody Valentine – “Isn’t Anything”
After years of small EPs, My Bloody Valentine release their first album and come out incredibly strong—if cold as ice. (read more)
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Wipers – “Youth of America” (1981)
The murky production on Youth of America is amazing—dark and hollow. Perhaps the perfect halfway point between punk and post-punk music. The music is still aggressive, it’s just that the textures contain it, allowing that energy to echo in its confinement and build up greater impact. Of course, it would be wrong of me to… (read more)
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Mission of Burma – “Vs.” (1982)
Is there another post-punk band that shreds as viciously as Mission of Burma? Vs. is from 1982, and I’m picking up strains of post-hardcore. Nobody could keep up with these guys. If Mission of Burma teamed their relentless attack up with Killing Joke‘s inner evil and hopeless nihilism they could destroy the entire world. Vs. is… (read more)
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Have a Nice Life – “Deathconsciousness”
Deathconsciousness is a hodgepodge of various musical styles such as drone, post-punk, shoegaze, and industrial. It’s the most transparent, forced kind of “experimentation” and doesn’t feel authentic. These genres never combine to create something new: Have a Nice Life merely switch between them to appear eclectic. As such, Deathconsciousness has no sonic unity and is… (read more)
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Wipers – “Wipers Box Set” (2001)
Wipers Box Set compiles almost all of Wipers’s best work—certainly their best albums. Wipers produced some of the catchiest punk tunes of the ’80s. Greg Sage is a wonderful guitarist who mixes melody with aggression in a way that predicted the alternative rock movement to follow. His voice is deep and rough, making him sound… (read more)
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Modern English – “After the Snow” (1982)
Hey, it’s Modern English, the one-hit wonder band! That one hit of course being the phenomenal “I Melt With You,” one of the most beautiful rock singles ever made. But other than that song, who really gives a damn about Modern English? This guy right here. I’ll tell you straight up: there is not one… (read more)
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The Smiths – “Meat Is Murder” (1985)
Yes, the title track of Meat Is Murder is really stupid and just a shortsighted version of “How Soon Is Now?” (which is even on the American version of this album), but pound for pound, I consider this the best Smiths album after The Queen Is Dead—no question. Lyrically, Morrissey trades in some of his trademark… (read more)
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My Bloody Valentine – “This Is Your Bloody Valentine” (1985)
This Is Your Bloody Valentine is The Doors meeting The Jesus and Mary Chain. Only with all of the impersonation and none of the skills. Dave Conway delivers his faux-Morrison accent over a generic array of half-baked, post-punk songs. There is a slight saving grace here with “The Last Supper” offering some eerie keyboard work,… (read more)