Pom Poko Merge Complicated Guitars and Catchy Hooks
Pom Poko have figured out how to combine complex math rock with big pop hooks, but their willingness to stretch beyond these styles makes Champion intriguing.
post-punk
Robert Fripp and Gary Numan’s Journeys into Post-Punk
In the post-punk era, progressive rock figurehead Robert Fripp and synth pop pioneer Gary Numan would shape the future sound of alternative rock and metal.
Colin Newman and Malka Spigel on Nanocluster, Collaboration, and Musical Independence
Colin Newman and Malka Spigel discuss their collaborative project Nanocluster and the importance of collaboration to maintain artistic independence.
Upon the Edge of No Escape: Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ at 45
A unique-sounding album, Unknown Pleasures retains the dark mystery of Ian Curtis and Joy Division while anticipating future moods and genres.
Post-Punk’s A Certain Ratio Continue Their Revival
A Certain Ratio find inspiration in their past work and the music that initially inspired them to create art that exists quite nicely in 2024.
‘1967’ and Robyn Hitchcock’s Quest to Stay High for Eternity
Robyn Hitchcock’s memoir 1967 taps into the music high that untethered the restraints of boarding school and shaped his life and music for eternity.
Ascending Mount Kimbie on ‘The Sunset Violent’
Mount Kimbie stir their influences into The Sunset Violent so well that it’s distinctly a record of theirs and an enjoyable one at that.
Disorientations ‘Echo’ Chameleons and Bunnymen Post-Punk
Antwerp Belgium’s Disorientations completely revamp their “Chameleons/Echo and the Bunnymen” post-punk sound on this impressive sophomore effort.
Les Savy Fav Stretch Their Sound on ‘OUI, LSF’
Les Savy Fav’s OUI, LSF is an energetic blast of post-punk that makes many of the newer bands in that scene sound pale in comparison.
Desperate Times Call for Poetic Protest From Cyril Cyril
Cyril Cyril’s Le Futur Ça Marche Pas is for agitators, a genre-be-damned assemblage of poetry and vivid effects in the form of well-produced electronic rock.
Elvis Costello’s ‘Armed Forces’ Remains a Potent Critique of Power
Forty-five years after Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces first arrived in record stores, its commentary on fascism is extremely relevant to today’s politics.
Moving Away From the Pulsebeat: Post-Punk Britain 1977-1981
This gargantuan post-punk collection has legends like Joy Division and the Cure, but it’s the lesser-knowns who provide the many unexpected thrills.