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Breathless - The French New Wave |
It's a simple task to categorize The Germs, The Sex Pistols, Circle
Jerks, Dead Kennedys and The Misfits as Punk; just as simple to quickly name DM,
Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark and Scritti Politti as New Wave, but where and
how, then, to categorize The Clash's venture into Reggae or The Feelies' Punk
Lite approach. The Feelies were among the bands that focused on
translating the emotional tension of the in-betweens into a new song format.
Formed in New Jersey by Glenn Mercer and Bill Million, they were a quiet, shy
outfit that rarely behaved like a rock band, thus predating the snobby/hipster attitude
of college-pop and bands like Weezer. 1977's
Crazy Rhythms was unique, imbued with a controlled frenzy that employed
psychedelic guitars, trance-like vocals, repetition of patterns and hypnotic
beats. The resulting sound was hermetic, almost extraterrestrial. Songs shared
an ascetic and a geometric quality that recalled Zen meditation rather than
punk-rock. The mood was halfway between ecstatic transcendence and detached
decadence. (Too much?) So where did it fit in?
Along that line of questioning, the most celebrated musician to emerge from the confusion
was Elvis Costello. The
quintessential "angry young man" incorporated a Buddy Holly look and
feel with a quirky delivery and a vast spectrum of styles (the anthemic "Less Than Zero," the romantic ballad "Alison," the eccentric reggae of "Watching The Detectives"). The early
singles led to the pub-rock of This
Year's Model and to the 60s
camouflage of Armed Forces, all before the end of '79. These albums
were typical of Costello's ambiguity: subtly attacking the Establishment while
openly endorsing its soundtrack. It wasn't a caricature, it was a full-hearted
endorsement of Tin Pan Alley's aesthetic. Did it fit anywhere?
What never ceases to amaze is that in 1979 and 1982, amidst the
diversity of the New – from The Angry Samoans to Duran Duran to Combat Rock, Pink
Floyd's The Wall would manage to top the charts. I'm enamored by the digital
age progressive rock of Steven Wilson, the singer songwriters like Andrew
McMahon and Rivers Cuomo and the genius of Beck, but God, you gotta miss that.