Pye Corner Audio, “Sleep Games” (Ghost Box, 2012)
British electronic act updating the bleak, spare minimalism of early sunth-industrial postpunk to reflect the subsequent decades’ developments in electronica, and the shifting topography of the U. K.’s urban wasteland. Riveting stuff.
Try 1, 2
2/14/13
Pussy Galore, “Exile on Main Street” (Shove, 1986)
A cover of (half of) the Stones masterpiece by this ahead-of-its-time garage-punk-noise army. A rattling, roaring assault that pays appropriate tribute to the Stones’ fuckup aesthetic with sometimes-unrecognizable versions that often sound learned on the spot.
11/12/12
Pussy Galore, “Corpse Love” (Carolina, 1992; original recordings 1985-7)
Pussy Galore weren’t the first band to equate the primitivism of raw, no-practice teenage garage rock and roll with that of extremist avant-noise, but nobody else boiled each side of the equation down to quite such a pure, brutal essence, or fused them together into something so seamless and unique. This contains their earliest, crudest and hence (according to the principles above) best work.
Picks: 2, 15, 16, 17, 26 (Julie’s berserk showcase), 27 (Neil H.’s first hint of Royal Trux), and 19 (kind of their theme song).
Pure Hell, “Noise Addiction” (Welfare, 2005; original recordings 1978)
Early punk band from Philly; they hung with Sid (see pics in booklet). Powerful musicianship, fine glam/Dolls/Stooges songs w/metal tinges, and a nicely nasty decadent/nightlife style to the whole thing.
Try 10, 12, 13
10/4/14
Puffy Amiyumi, “An Illustrated History” (Bar/None, 2002; original recordings 1996-2002)
They’d been toned down by the time they made it to America, but this Japanese pop duo’s ‘90s stuff, collected here, is mind-bogglingly inventive and effervescent. Mod, glitter, disco, new wave, Eurovision and more come together – sometimes in the same song! – in a big bubble-punk rush. If someone had put together a Top-40 band based on the stylistically wild construction principles of the Boredoms’ early work, it might have turned out like this, and for all I know, that’s what actually happened.
Try 2, 8, 11
4/4/11
Puffy Ami Yumi, “Splurge” (Tofu, 2006)
Hard-rock/J-pop hybrid whose secret weapon was great, melodramatic songs reminiscent of jacked-up Ziggy-era Bowie; these are some of their best.
Try 8, 9, 13, 14
10/4/14
Public Memory, “Wuthering Drum” (Felte, 2016)
Minimal-electronic staff, on the border of synth-pop but more dislocated, in an unassumingly spare and clangy manner.
Try 5, 10
11/10/16
Public Image, Ltd., “This Is P. I. L.” ([self-released], 2012)
First P. I. L. album in twenty years, and I actually really like it. Chiming guitars plus elliptical, spatially skewed song structures plus a blankly bright surface coating equals a model of P. I. L. that encompasses their entire career. And Lydon is in fine form, ranting about drowning, lollipops and (yes) the need for utopia (who said he was out of surprises?).
Try 3, 5, 11
7/29/12
Psycoplasma, “Skitzo,” 7” (Gaga Goodies, 1989)
Someone at Reckless labelled this as featuring Annabella of BowWowWow, but no, it’s only got a song called “Anna Bella.” Actually, this turns out to be fast, hard Joy-Div-inflected Finnish postpunk/HC, and pretty good at that.
Try B/1
1/23/14
Project X, “Straight Edge Revenge” (Schism, 1988)
Without the public-responsibility burden of their “real” bands, members of Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, and (I think) Bold got together for a side project of pure HC, but but punching-skinheads-in-the-face, kicking-in-the-windows-of-the-venue good clean fun. Insane throttling guitar sound and wall-rattling beats.
Start with 1
10/13/11