Apples For Isaak

 

A few days ago, Echo & The Bunnymen released a new album after more than a decade. My expectations were high, as this band had been one of my favourites from days long gone, both in terms of their songs and their album cover design. In that respect, the cover didn’t bode well. The songs are no longer imbued with the sombre mood of days gone by and are, in a positive sense, more cheerful. Ian MacCulloch’s voice has matured, but is still captivating enough to enhance a song, and Will Sergeant hasn’t lost his touch on the guitar. I wasn’t expecting a new masterpiece, but I was rewarded with songs that, in some cases, are reminiscent of David Bowie’s early sound, whilst in others clearly bear the band’s signature style. All in all, a more than respectable late-career album from a legend.

Animal Wednesday

 

Today we go back to songs from the early 80'/late 70's performed by artists from the beginning of the punk or from a short lived rockabilly revival.

Adam Ant was infected by punk when he first watched the Sex Pistols live. Their first album got critical acclaim but he wanted more popularity and asked Malcolm McLaren to manage the band. He must have realised by then, at the very latest, that this wasn’t a good idea when McLaren poached the entire band to form Bow Wow Wow and make them a success. Nevertheless, this song managed to climb to the top of the charts in 1980.

In the early 1980's, musical styles long thought to be dead enjoyed a resurgence. Whilst British bands such as The Specials, Selector and The Beat gave the old 1960's Jamaican off-beats a new lease of life with a good dose of punk, on the other side of the Atlantic bands such as the Stray Cats and The Meteors saw 1950's rock ’n’ roll as their roots. In that respect, Stray Cat Strut can be described as a successful revival.

I probably don’t need to say anything more about Wire’s classic album, except that they’ve moved away from the minimalism of their debut album and ventured into more complex arrangements.