Change Of Pace

I listen to quite a bit of post-punk, probably as much as hardcore. "Post-punk" can be interpreted broadly, the kind I'm usually into most is on the darker side; the kind that took direction from Joy Division liberally. What a lot of the bands I like have in common is that dark as they may seem, the songs they've written are still ultimately pop songs. Below are a few selections...

Children's Hour, from New Zealand, wrote an EP which was released in 1983 that contained the following song, "Go Slow." The lyric about someone mentioned in the song being a "member of the Ku Klux Klan" drew racist skins to their shows for a time, even though the band were not nationalist/fascist whatsoever. The band reformed much later and are now currently writing and recording.

Children's Hour - Go Slow

The Sound, from London, survived from 1979 to 1988. In the time between, they were helped by their friends, Echo and the Bunnymen to get a 3 album contract with a Warner subsidiary, Korova. Their first two albums were well received critically but did not bring in the big dollars for Warner; the band were pressured to have their third record sound more commercial. The band rebelled and went further in their own direction with their last major label album, "All Fall Down." This is probably their best record and the song below, "Red Paint", is a track from the album. Afterward, the band signed with an indie and went on to record a few EPs and another album but the band was finished after singer Adrian Borland began acting oddly and ultimately suffered a total nervous breakdown. Eleven years later he killed himself when by hurling himself in front of a train at Wimbledon.

The Sound - Red Paint

The Chameleons, from Manchester, released three albums on Statik records before disbanding after their manager's death in 1987(They released an EP, the title of which is a dedication to him; "Tony Wilson Walked On Water"). Their first record leans more on the dark, post-punk side, while their later albums veer more towards dream pop. The song below is from their first album, "Script Of The Bridge."

The Chameleons - Less Than Human