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Okay okay. I'll be honest I haven't been in the best headspace at all today. But I want to deliver on my promise! This week's album is Buy by the Contortions!
If you've heard of No Wave, you've probably heard of Contortions. This band was featured on the No Wave compilation No New York, produced by Brian Eno who'd heard about this music/art/performance movement happening in NYC and wanted to document it. Others featured were Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars, and D.N.A. (my second favorite!). There's an atonal, arrhythmic quality to a lot of No Wave music that I'm personally very drawn to, and Contortions have this bright, bombastic performance in their songs that I can't get enough of. It's kind of like if you tried to make music as un-musical as possible; the whole point is to make the experience a little hostile. I can't speak to James Chance's intentions, of course. This is mostly speculation and what I've found while poking around for information about No Wave in general.
I first looked into the movement because there are a couple of TMBG songs with No Wave inspirations, and I wanted to hear more music that sounded like that. Contortions scratched that itch. Do yourself a favor and give Buy a listen.
This week's decision was inspired by a copy I found in the wild yesterday, over in LA. UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS SIXTY DOLLARS. I couldn't justify the purchase, but wanted to do something to commemorate such an exciting find. Here she is in all her sixty-dollar glory:
This is such good driving music for me and nobody else. My friends once got in my car and laughed when it started playing. I don't know. It's the best music ever to me, and James Chance's blatant jazz inspirations are also inspiring ME to look more into jazz. I'll forever be excited by threads connecting different musical movements to each other, leading me across music history...
...Which reminds me. I meant to start a timeline of music connecting new wave, post-punk, no wave, and some other genres, but never got around to it... Gotta keep that on the backburner.
Alright, let me know if you enjoy this one! I seriously adore it.
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Macrotten
I'm listening to this rn lol I like new wave stuff and had never heard of no wave b4, this is rad :3
Hell yes, glad you enjoy!!!
by DJ Microbe; ; Report
lucid-soup
omg thanks for this post! also the timeline idea is amazing, i'm 100% here for it. And i'm gonna listen to Buy at work tomorrow!
Yess let me know what you think!!!
by DJ Microbe; ; Report
so, i tried in the morning at work, but i just came from therapy after some intense crying, so i had to shut it after a few songs and let myself be coddled and babied by the voice of Thom Yorke, as one does... but i gave it a listen now at night and it was an entirely different jam. i boped. i wasn't all that familiar with the term no wave, but i think i get. i was all for the funk and the jazz and the chaos. it's a really great album!
by lucid-soup; ; Report
It's definitely not for every vibe! I'm so glad you enjoyed :)
by DJ Microbe; ; Report