Post-no wave

Last updated

Post-no wave is a form of experimental rock music that emerged from, or drew its inspiration from, the no wave scene. It's considered to have arisen after the disintegration of the original scene in 1980, expanding beyond its New York City boundaries. [1] [2] It further differs from no wave by exploring new music genres, making use of modern technology and studio techniques, embracing rock [2] [3] [4] or funk [5] idioms, a greater rhythmic complexity or a tongue-in-cheek nihilistic humor. [6] As a result, post-no wave usually fuses the angular and deconstructive approach of its predecessor with a more song-oriented sound. [7] [8] [9] [10]

Contents

Significant examples of post-no wave bands can be found in the works from former scenesters [2] [3] and new acts that were shaped by no wave in the 1980s —like Rat at Rat R, [1] Sonic Youth and Swans [4] [11] [12] —, the ephemeral Chicago No Wave scene in the 1990s [13] [14] [15] [16] and a nebula of scattered artists since the 2000s —such as Erase Errata, [17] [18] [19] [20] Talk Normal, [21] [22] [23] Liars [24] [25] and Gilla Band [26] [27] [28] —.

History

Shortly after the recording of No New York in 1978, no wave, as an avant-garde movement and music scene, started disintegrating. The Gynecologists disbanded in 1978, Mars followed between 1978/1979, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks in 1979, Theoretical Girls in 1981, James Chance and the Contortions in 1981 and DNA in 1982. Several key artists then focused on non-musical projects or delved into more accessible rock genres. Lydia Lunch went on a solo career as a post-punk act, Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca developed totalism in electric guitar ensembles, Arto Lindsay embarked on free improvisation and avant-garde jazz collaborations; others, such as Ut, The Lounge Lizards and Mofungo, continued playing until the 1990s, but far removed from their no wave roots. During this period, posthumous studio recordings and VV.AA. compilations [29] from the scene were published for the first time, contributing to its underground popularity. While new generations of musicians outside the scene and from all around the world had been influenced by no-wave music, played with former scenesters —for instance, members from Sonic Youth and Swans played in Chatham's and Branca's ensembles— or claimed to be its successors. Thus, no longer a scene or a movement, a post-no wave came into existence.

Although other expressions have been used to describe this kind of music (now wave, [30] a second wave of no wave [4] or no wave revival [19] ), Marc Masters helped popularize the term post-no wave in the 2000s, [1] [14] [21] following its coinage in the 1990s [31] [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

No wave was an avant-garde music genre and visual art scene that emerged in the late 1970s in Downtown New York City. The term was a pun based on the rejection of commercial new wave music. Reacting against punk rock's recycling of rock and roll clichés, no wave musicians instead experimented with noise, dissonance, and atonality, as well as non-rock genres like free jazz, funk, and disco. The scene often reflected an abrasive, confrontational, and nihilistic world view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonic Youth</span> American rock band (1981–2011)

Sonic Youth was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1981. Founding members Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo remained together for the entire history of the band, while Steve Shelley (drums) followed a series of short-term drummers in 1985, rounding out the core line-up. Jim O'Rourke was also a member of the band from 1999 to 2005, and Mark Ibold was a member from 2006 to 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Branca</span> American composer and guitarist (1948–2018)

Glenn Branca was an American avant-garde composer, guitarist, and luthier. Known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series, he was a driving force behind the genres of no wave, totalism and noise rock. Branca received a 2009 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thurston Moore</span> American guitarist (born 1958)

Thurston Joseph Moore is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known as a member of the rock band Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moore was ranked 34th in Rolling Stone's 2004 edition of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

<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.

<i>Sonic Youth</i> (EP) 1982 EP by Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth is the debut EP by American rock band Sonic Youth. It was recorded between December 1981 and January 1982 and released in March 1982 by Glenn Branca's Neutral label. It is the only recording featuring the early Sonic Youth lineup with Richard Edson on drums. Sonic Youth differs stylistically from the band's later work in its greater incorporation of clean guitars, standard tuning, crisp production and a post-punk style.

Dance-punk is a post-punk subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements. The genre is characterized by mixing the energy of punk rock with the danceable rhythms of funk and disco. It was most prominent in the New York City punk movement.

<i>Confusion Is Sex</i> Album by Sonic Youth

Confusion Is Sex is the debut studio album by American noise rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in 1983 by Neutral Records. It has been referred to as an important example of the no wave genre. AllMusic called it "lo-fi to the point of tonal drabness, as the instruments seem to ring out in only one tone, that of screechy noise".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erase Errata</span> American band

Erase Errata was a band from San Francisco, California.

<i>New York Noise</i> 2003 American TV series or program

New York Noise is a one-hour indie-rock music video television program which aired from 2003–2009 on NYC Media in New York and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut. It was created, produced, and edited by Shirley Braha and funded by New York City under the Bloomberg administration. The show was "devoted to music videos, live footage, and high jinx from bands that ride the L train." It is no longer in production since the station's rebranding in 2010, despite a petition and campaign which attempted to save it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blast First</span> British record label

Blast First is a sub label of one-time independent record label Mute Records, founded in approximately 1985. It was named after a phrase taken from the first number of the radical Vorticist journal Blast, published by Wyndham Lewis in 1914. Lewis's "Manifesto" begins with the words "BLAST First ENGLAND".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wharton Tiers</span> American record producer (born 1953)

Wharton Tiers is an American audio engineer, record producer, drummer and percussionist.

<i>The Ascension</i> (Glenn Branca album) 1981 studio album by Glenn Branca

The Ascension is the debut studio album by American no wave musician Glenn Branca, released in November 1981 by 99 Records. The album experiments with resonances generated by alternate tunings for multiple electric guitars. It sold 10,000 copies and received acclaim from music critics.

<i>Lesson No. 1</i> 1980 EP by Glenn Branca

Lesson No. 1 is the debut solo EP by American avant-garde musician Glenn Branca. It was released in March 1980 on 99 Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theoretical Girls</span> American no wave band

Theoretical Girls were a New York-based no wave band formed by Glenn Branca and conceptual artist and composer Jeff Lohn that existed from 1977 to 1981. Theoretical Girls played only about 20 shows.

Rat at Rat R was a No Wave band formed in 1981 by guitarist Victor Poison-tete. The music of Rat at Rat R can best be described as guitar-oriented noise music or noise rock music.

Anne DeMarinis is an American musician and visual artist known for designing album covers. She is a former member of Sonic Youth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noise Fest</span>

Noise Fest was an influential festival of no wave noise music performances curated by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth at the New York City art space White Columns in June 1981. Sonic Youth made their first live appearances at this show.

<i>Bad Moon Rising</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Sonic Youth

Bad Moon Rising is the second studio album by American rock band Sonic Youth, released on March 29, 1985, by Blast First and Homestead Records. The album is loosely themed around the dark side of America, including references to obsession, insanity, Charles Manson, heavy metal, Satanism, and early European settlers' encounters with Native Americans.

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Masters, Marc (2007). No Wave. London: Black Dog Publishing. ISBN   978-1906155025.
  2. 1 2 3 Moore, Thurston; Coley, Byron (2008). No Wave: Post-Punk. Underground. New York. 1976-1980. New York: Abrams Books. ISBN   978-0810995437.
  3. 1 2 Mamone, Jordan (2021). "Don King". Trouser Press .
  4. 1 2 3 Calvert, John (2014). "A Beginner's Guide to No Wave, New York's Middle Finger to the World". Fact (UK magazine) .
  5. ↑ Reynolds, Simon (2006). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN   0143036726.
  6. ↑ Anonymous (2019). "Chicago No Wave". Co-Prosperity .
  7. ↑ Abebe, Nitsuh. "Long Hair in Three Stages - U.S. Maple". AllMusic .
  8. ↑ McLeod, Kembrew (1996). "Thurston Moore & John Fahey Confuse & Delight". MTV . Archived from the original on June 5, 2018.
  9. ↑ Aspray, Benjamin (2011). "Sonic Youth: SYR 9: Simon Werner a Disparu". PopMatters .
  10. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Sonic Youth - Sister". AllMusic .
  11. ↑ Soulsby, Nick (2018). Swans: Sacrifice and Transcendence: The Oral History. London: Jawbone Press. ISBN   978-1911036395.
  12. ↑ Browne, David (2009). Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth. London: Ingram Publisher Services. ISBN   978-0306816031.
  13. ↑ Light, G. E. (2006). "'90's Noise". Perfect Sound Forever .
  14. 1 2 Masters, Marc (2006). "Lake of Dracula: Skeletal Remains Album Review". Pitchfork .
  15. ↑ Nelson, J. R.; Galil, Leor (2019). "Chicago no wave celebrates itself". Chicago Reader .
  16. ↑ Patten, Burke (2014). "Chicago No Wave Audio Documentary". Bandcamp .
  17. ↑ Anonymous (2002). "Erase Errata challenges listeners to think outside the lines of dance, noise and rock". Prefixmag .
  18. ↑ Shepherd, Julianne (2003). "No Wave Not No Wave". Portland Mercury .
  19. 1 2 Sanneh, Kelefa (2003). "ROCK REVIEW; A Bit of the No-Wave Revival Visiting From the West". The New York Times .
  20. ↑ Adams, Gregory (2015). "Erase Errata Call It Quits". Exclaim! .
  21. 1 2 Masters, Marc (2009). "Talk Normal: Sugarland". Pitchfork .
  22. ↑ Davies, Bree (2010). "Talk normal is no no-wave band". The A.V. Club .
  23. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Will (2013). "Talk Normal - Sunshine". The Line of Best Fit .
  24. ↑ Lavagna, M.; Savini, F. (2006). "Liars - Drum's Not Dead". Ondarock .
  25. ↑ Schirossi, Mimma (2018). "Liars. L'aftershock della no wave". Ondarock .
  26. ↑ Chick, Stevie (2015). "Girl Band review – the last rave before the apocalypse". The Guardian .
  27. ↑ Sánchez Gárate, Miguel Ángel (2015). "Girl Band - Holding Hands With Jamie". Mondosonoro .
  28. ↑ Wright, Danny (2019). "Girl Band - The Talkies". Crack Magazine .
  29. ↑ Noise Fest (1981), Just Another Asshole #5 (1981), Peripheral Vision (1982), State of the Union (1982, 1992, 1996), Tellus (#1 (1983); #2, #3, #5 and #6 (1984); #8 USA/Germany and #10 All Guitars! (1985)), Speed Trials (1985), Island of Sanity: New Music From New York City (1987), etc.
  30. ↑ "CAMP SKiN GRAFT: Now Wave". Bandcamp . 1997.
  31. ↑ Margasak, Peter (1995). "Rock 'n' Roll: they're queer, they're here, get into it". Chicago Reader .
  32. ↑ Coley, Byron (1995). "Noisemakers". Chicago Reader .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.