Art punk

Last updated

Art punk, or artcore, is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. [1] These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spirited, but essentially attracted audiences other than the angry, working-class ones that surrounded pub rock. [2]

Contents

History

In the rock music of the 1970s, the "art" descriptor was generally understood to mean either "aggressively avant-garde" or "pretentiously progressive". [3] Musicologists Simon Frith and Howard Horne described the band managers of the 1970s punk bands as "the most articulate theorists of the art punk movement", with Bob Last of Fast Product identified as one of the first to apply art theory to marketing, and Tony Wilson's Factory Records described as "applying the Bauhaus principle of the same 'look' for all the company's goods". [4] Wire's Colin Newman described art punk in 2006 as "the drug of choice of a whole generation". [5] Pitchfork attributes Mayo Thompson of Red Krayola as "the primary oracle for a generation of art punks, industrial savants, and new-wave scientists". [6] AllMusic stated "it would take a few decades of post-punk experimentalism before Mayo Thompson's vision would have a truly suitable context." [7]

Anna Szemere traces the beginnings of the Hungarian art-punk subculture to 1978, when punk band the Spions performed three concerts which drew on conceptualist performance art and Antonin Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty , with neo-avant-garde/anarchist manifestos handed out to the audience. [8]

Related Research Articles

Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an artistic statement, opting for a more experimental and conceptual outlook on music. Influences may be drawn from genres such as experimental music, avant-garde music, classical music, and jazz.

The 100 Club Punk Special was a two-day event held at the 100 Club venue in Oxford Street, London, England, on 20 and 21 September 1976. The gig showcased eight punk rock bands, most of which were unsigned. The bands in attendance were each associated with the then evolving punk rock music scene of the United Kingdom. Historically, the event has become seen as marking a watershed moment for punk rock, as it began to move from the underground and emerge into the mainstream music scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noise rock</span> Experimental rock music mixed with noise

Noise rock is a noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, artists indulge in extreme levels of distortion through the use of electric guitars and, less frequently, electronic instrumentation, either to provide percussive sounds or to contribute to the overall arrangement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Krayola</span> American band

Red Krayola is an American avant rock band from Houston, Texas formed in 1966 by the trio of singer/guitarist Mayo Thompson, drummer Frederick Barthelme, and bassist Steve Cunningham.

<i>Chairs Missing</i> 1978 studio album by Wire

Chairs Missing is the second studio album by the English rock band Wire. It was released on 8 September 1978 through Harvest Records. The album peaked at number 48 in the UK Albums Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayo Thompson</span> American musician and visual artist (born 1944)

Mayo Thompson is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the experimental rock band Red Krayola.

Fredrick Barthelme is an American novelist and short story writer of minimalist fiction. He is the director of the Center For Writers at The University of Southern Mississippi and editor of New World Writing

<i>The Parable of Arable Land</i> 1967 studio album by Red Krayola (with the Familiar Ugly)

The Parable of Arable Land is the first studio album by the Red Crayola. The album was considered psychedelic music when it was introduced, but later assessments describe it as a forerunner to avant/noise rock. With this album as introduction, Ritchie Unterberger assessed the band as a precursor to industrial rock. The album features free improvised pieces involving industrial power tools and a revving motorcycle dubbed "Free Form Freak-Out" played by a group of over 50 people known as "the Familiar Ugly" as well as notable instrumental cameos by label mate and 13th Floor Elevators frontman Roky Erickson.

Post-punk is a broad genre of music that emerged in 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experimental approach that encompassed a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-rock influences. Inspired by punk's energy and do it yourself ethic but determined to break from rock cliches, artists experimented with styles like funk, electronic music, jazz, and dance music; the production techniques of dub and disco; and ideas from art and politics, including critical theory, modernist art, cinema and literature. These communities produced independent record labels, visual art, multimedia performances and fanzines.

Art pop is a loosely defined style of pop music influenced by art theories as well as ideas from other art mediums, such as fashion, fine art, cinema, and avant-garde literature. The genre draws on pop art's integration of high and low culture, and emphasizes signs, style, and gesture over personal expression. Art pop musicians may deviate from traditional pop audiences and rock music conventions, instead exploring postmodern approaches and ideas such as pop's status as commercial art, notions of artifice and the self, and questions of historical authenticity.

<i>Red Barked Tree</i> 2010 studio album by Wire

Red Barked Tree is the twelfth studio album by the English post-punk band Wire--digitally released on 20 December 2010, and as a CD on 10 January 2011 on the Pinkflag label. Featuring eleven tracks covering a diverse range of musical styles, the record was well received by critics, who found the record "representing the essence of their best work" and covering "virtually all aspects of Wire's varied history to create a stylistic best-of new material".

Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with some of the genre's distinguishing characteristics being improvisational performances, avant-garde influences, odd instrumentation, opaque lyrics, unorthodox structures and rhythms, and an underlying rejection of commercial aspirations.

<i>Soldier-Talk</i> 1979 studio album by The Red Crayola

Soldier-Talk is the third studio album by the American experimental rock band Red Crayola. It was released in 1979 by the record label Radar.

<i>God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It</i> Album by Red Krayola

God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It is the second commercially released studio album by the American avant-rock band Red Krayola. It was released in May 1968 by the independent record label known as International Artists.

<i>Corrected Slogans</i> 1976 studio album by Art & Language with the Red Krayola

Corrected Slogans is a studio album collaboration between the experimental rock band Red Krayola and the conceptual art group Art & Language. It was released in 1976 by the publisher Music-Language. The album was adopted by Drag City and was re-issued on CD in 1997.

<i>Black Snakes</i> 1983 studio album by The Red Krayola with Art & Language

Black Snakes is a collaboration between the experimental rock band Red Krayola and the conceptual art group Art & Language. It was released in 1983 by RecRec Music. The album was adopted by Drag City and re-issued on CD in 1997.

<i>Coconut Hotel</i> 1995 studio album by The Red Krayola

Coconut Hotel is an album originally recorded in 1967 by the American avant rock band Red Krayola. The intent was for it to be the band's second album after the release of The Parable of Arable Land, but it was rejected and shelved indefinitely by International Artists. Coconut Hotel would not hit stores till 1995 when it was finally issued by Drag City.

<i>Fingerpainting</i> (album) 1999 studio album by The Red Krayola

Fingerpainting is an album by the experimental rock band Red Krayola, released in 1999 by Drag City. The album contains songs that were originally worked on by the 1960s line-up of the band.

<i>Introduction</i> (Red Krayola album) 2006 studio album by The Red Krayola

Introduction is an album by the experimental rock band Red Krayola, released in 2006 via Drag City.

<i>Sighs Trapped by Liars</i> 2007 studio album by The Red Krayola with Art & Language

Sighs Trapped by Liars is the fourth collaboration between the experimental rock band Red Krayola and the conceptual art group Art & Language, released on September 17, 2007, by Drag City.

References

  1. Gittins 2004, p. 5.
  2. Desrosiers, Mark (November 8, 2001). "25 Up: Punk's Silver Jubilee: Aesthetic Anesthetic: Liberating the Punk Canon". PopMatters .
  3. Murray, Noel (May 28, 2015). "60 minutes of music that sum up art-punk pioneers Wire". The A.V. Club .
  4. Frith, Simon & Horne, Howard (1987) Art into Pop, Methuen, ISBN   978-0-416-41540-7, p. 129-130
  5. Newman, Colin (2006) "Wire: the art-punk band's journey and legacy", The Independent , 17 February 2006
  6. "The Red Krayola: Introduction Album Review". Pitchfork . 22 June 2006.
  7. The Red Krayola - God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail with It Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved 2023-04-20
  8. Szemere, Anna (1997) Up from the Underground: The Culture of Rock Music in Postsocialist Hungary, Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN   978-0-271-02133-1, p. 41

Bibliography