Punk Rocks

One genre that I have been hearing a lot about lately is No Wave. No Wave was a genre of art music (and other media) that was popular among a certain group of artists for a few years in the late 1970s. No Wave bands puttered around New York for several years unorganized then came together on a single compilation album called No New York before largely dissolving. It was released in 1978 and produced by Brian Eno, featuring four of the most popular No Wave bands. There was a festival called Noise Fest three years later that featured a lot of bands in the genre but not much after that.

No Wave bands were noisy, bizarre, confrontational, amateur, and just all around generally unpleasant. Basically, the epitome of the punk ethos of the time. They probably get a lot more hype now than they ever deserved but they did do something important: they tested the bounds of punk music. They took the idea of experimental DIY art bands and made it a reality. After a few years, punk bands, which at first seemed so radical, would settle down and start leaning toward the generic. But No Wave bands were relentlessly literal in their interpretation of and faithfulness to the idea of punk.

There has already been so much written about this phenomenon. I have to wonder why I am choosing to reiterate it on my blog. But this is an assignment. And I guess I can put in my two cents on the subject: No Wave is a great idea. Some great musicians came out of it (Glenn Branca, James Chance, Lydia Lunch, Thurston Moore). But ultimately, I don’t think many people would ever want to listen to it in bulk. A few exceptions to the rule: James Chance and the Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. But, like so much performance art, No Wave tended to value the message over the medium.

For the more open-minded among you, here's a video:



And here's another:



Don't see the resemblance? No Wave bands tended to be extremely diverse. Don't enjoy it? No Wave isn't supposed to be pleasant. Don't get it? That's okay, neither do I.