New Wave/Post Punk/Gothic Rock Recommendations

Yes, I was very surprised they did Berlin Blondes, as it is possibly my favorite album but even I didn't want to request it for fear of unmoving stock. But what I find is that the profit and loss has to be balanced. I took some chances on a couple of my titles and they didn't fly off the shelf, but the ones that have done well help to offset that. I am now trying to focus primarily on bands and artists that had some longevity but will still slip in the occasional oddball release of personal interest that may not necessarily have the biggest fanbase.

 

Since when is INXS, The Jam, Japan, Adam Ant post punk? Think you’re really stretching that term. I’m kind of surprised there wasn’t any mention of Modern English (first album) in this thread yet. The Fall aren’t mentioned either other than a copy and pasted list.

 

The Sound were mentioned in the very first post! The Fall were mentioned elsewhere.

I agree - that list is flawed in some ways. I certainly wouldn't consider INXS or Adam Ant post punk. But then, nor do I consider bands like Sonic Youth or Big Black post punk - to me that's more American indie/college rock. That may seem like splitting hairs, but I do see it as something different. And Flipper were more punk to me, albeit quite distinct from most other punk bands, but I feel like their overall attitude was more punk than post punk. Same with The Minutemen. And The Soft Boys weren't post punk, they were pop. Ditto the Waterboys.

I could see an argument made for Japan (of whom I'm a massive e fan), but they certainly didn't start out as post punk, and they kind of evolved into their own thing.

 

Never heard Japan lumped in with post punk bands ever you might as well throw in Gary Numan as post punk if you want to go that route.

 

That first Modern English LP is fantastic. A friend played it for me a few years ago and it blew me away.

IMO the best post punk records in recent years are Total Control - Henge Beat and His Electro Blue Voice - Ruthless Sperm. Both on the noisier side of the genre.

 

Remember, the thread is called New Wave/Post Punk/Gothic Rock Recommendations, so the tread will not be just Post Punk recommendations. Also I think there were a few people who recommended the fall. I am also aware of all 3 bands and enjoy them quite a bit.

 

Yeah but the list that mentioned those bands doesn’t say “new wave” it says “post punk.” It describes INXS as “dark wave” at one point and it even has U2 Unforgettable Fire in there. Really?

 

I actually think there might be more "not post-punk" on that Top 100 Post-Punk Albums list than actual post-punk.

 

I haven't either, per se; I was just saying I could see how an argument could be made for it. That said, Japan were discussed by Simon Reynolds in one of his post punk books.

 

I wouldn't consider any of those three bands post-punk per se. Adam Ant - only Dirk Wears White Sox seems to truly fit into the post punk sphere. I sometimes wonder if Japan's change in direction after the second album was influenced by the post-punk movement that was going on at the time, but they could've easily just been developing influences from elsewhere, like Eno and Bowie.

 

Adam Ant was part of first wave punk before ditching that route.

 

Hi _ot, Japan was much more Roxy/Eno New Romantic (though I'm sure they'd hate to hear that), but certainly the line from Japan to Duran Duran and Talk Talk is pretty straight and Talk Talk's trajectory towards ambient was similar to Sylvian as was Arcadia's (nee Duran Duran's) So Red the Rose was their attempt at matching Tin Drum imo.

 

Is Nick Cave considered Gothic Rock early in his career?

 

I never lumped Birthday Party into goth but they certainly had a lot of the tropes.

 

Dirk came out in '79. A bit late for a first wave punk album. I would consider Dirk something other than punk based on the time period and sound.

 

I'd say no. But folks will lump any dark sounding music in the goth bin. To me goth rock was the Sisters of Mercy et. al.

 

The first 3 Joe Jackson albums

 

Weird indeed, seeing as post-punk has been banned in Michigan since 1996.

 

Ha!

 

Very different from what came after, but I'd say The Cult's "Love" album qualifies.

 

The Birthday Party may have looked goth (at least Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard), but their music wasn't.

 

The Rowland S Howard solo albums are pretty dark. They feel like they run right up to the edge of goth to me.

 

cowboys international - the 'no' tune

 

Captain Sensible - Women and Captains First

Albeit veering into synthpop territory...

 

Cowboys International perform "Today" on Old Grey Whistle Test, broadcast Jan 22 1980

Terry Chimes, Evan Charles, Jimmy Hughes, Marco Pirroni and Ken Lockie