Some classic post-punk for you, courtesy of The Three Johns.
New Wave
[Music] R.I.P. Mark E. Smith, frontman of The Fall has died
Mark E. Smith, frontman of legendary UK post-punk band The Fall, has died. The Fall’s manager, Pam Van Damned, confirmed Smith’s passing in a brief statement provided to Consequence of Sound. “It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Mark E. Smith. He passed this morning (24th January) at home. A more detailed…
via R.I.P. Mark E. Smith, frontman of The Fall has died — Consequence of Sound
The Hippest of Priests has departed this mortal coil. Mark E. Smith was 60 years old. May he rest in peace.
[Music] Album Premiere: Girls on Film 1979 Demo EP by Duran Duran feat. Andy Wickett
My brother and I, and millions of boys and (especially) girls grew up with Duran Duran. That Cleopatra Records, undoubtedly the kings of the reissue scene, would release these demos done with former singer Andy Wickett comes as a pleasant surprise.
The Big Takeover Magazine has plenty of background information on this intriguing release, and do take the time to hear Girls On Film in a very raw, far less-polished but perfectly acceptable form.
[Music] What Punk Rock Meant to Communist Yugoslavia
It boggles the mind how many amazing punk and post-punk bands came out of the former Yugoslavia. It’s also a crying shame that so few labels have bothered to reissue these gems, dating as far back as the New Wave days.
Miljenko Jergovic pens a wonderful walk down memory lane for the New York Times, which you can read here.
[Music] Strawberry Switchblade – 1982 4-Piece Demo
One of my old college mates described Strawberry Switchblade as ‘twee’. He was right. That didn’t affect the fact that I saw them as a great pop band with two of my teenage crushes blowing me away musically. Here’s the raw material which would develop into their eponymous debut LP.
[Music] Salvador Jimenez Hernandez & The Mariachi Mexteca with Hugh Cornwell – Golden Brown
Amazing. The Mariachi Mexteca collaborate with The Stranglers’ singer Hugh Cornwell on what is my favorite Stranglers song, Golden Brown. Punk and Mariachi seem to blend together beautifully in this example.
[Music] Утро – Утро LP
This has to be some of the bleakest music I’ve heard in a while. Утро (Yutro, or Morning) are a band I have absolutely no information on, but they sound a bit like Joy Division going on a bender after swallowing a bunch of downers. Heavy, brutal, but really good-quality post-punk.
[Music] ‘Joy Division weren’t cold. They were down-to-earth and funny’
Matthew Higgs of The Guardian bears the bad news that Joy Division, whose music, as he says, ‘was cold and detached’, were actually a fun lot.
[Music] The Durutti Column – Requiem For A Father
The Durutti Column provide a shimmering instrumental from 1980 as Father’s Day nears.
[Music] Gang Of Four – Armalite Rifle
Gang Of Four never got enough credit as one of England’s finest post-punk bands. Even when they went through a pop phase, they pulled it off with panache. Thankfully, this is prime era GoF.
