10 Perfect Post Punk Albums With No Bad Songs
Burning down the house of punk, this is post punk at its best...
Post punk is a loosely defined and somewhat unhelpful term, that encompasses a vast range of musical styles that arose in the wake of the declining punk trend during '70s.
When the Sex Pistols disbanded and Sid Vicious died, symbolically it was seen as the end of the English punk movement. Although punk would continue, both in the UK and America, its position as the forerunner of rock music was over.
Many of the subsequent bands, had been inspired by the DIY methods of punk, but looked to avoid the tired tropes of its overall sound. Bands began incorporating new elements into their music. With more onus on melody and rhythm - the sound was, on a whole, more accessible - but it shared the non-conforming ethos of the safety pin sporting bad boys of rock.
The heyday of post punk only lasted until the mid '80s but came to represent a time of innovation. Widely varied and experimental sounds were utilised by musicians who were looking for the new sound of rock. These are the albums that acted as the transitional sound between the ending of punk as mainstream trend and the development of a more wide ranging style of music.
10. Germfree Adolescents - X-Ray Spex (1978)
X-Ray Spex were self-proclaimed under achievers but they left their mark. Fronted by the fearlessly rebellious, Poly Styrene, they were a band with one Dr. Marten firmly placed in the realm of punk, with the other stomping through the realms of ska and new wave.
Their most defining single, Oh Bondage Up Yours!, was a rallying cry for young women to break off the shackles of the oppressive regime. They were a band widely acclaimed on the London Pub circuit, but like many bands of the era, the X-Ray Spex didn't last long. By 1979 they were out of the game.
Their debut album served as the perfect transitional record for the decline of punk rock and the arrival of post punk and new wave. This was music that wasn't afraid to blend other influences into a wildly unique new sound. The album's lyrics centred around the lifestyle of working and middle class adolescents, running around the streets of London, causing chaos and trying to form an identity. With fast paced guitar, cutting saxophone leads and the powerfully shrill vocals of Styrene, this was music for the youth.