LCD- Song I was the most familiar with. Many band members but
the key ones are Pat Mahoney, Nancy Whang, Al Doyle, Gavin Russom and James
Murphy. Started in. I know that James Murphy was heavily influenced by punk
music but, in some ways, this song is one of the least punk. It is much longer
than the average punk song at 5 minutes and 35 seconds (though this is short by
LCD’s standards). It is from Sound of
Silver, Released in 2007. Cover Art shows some sort of futuristic device in
a grungy room. Embodies LCD in that it uses new technology to fill a grungy,
raw environment. Clever lyrics as usual but not aggressive. About loving his
city because it’s all he knows but preferring it when it was dirty and unsafe.
He takes on Mayer Bloomberg and calls him, “a billionaire mayor who’s convinced
he’s a king”. This is the most aggressive part of the song. Tempo changes
dramatically but is never fast and is only briefly aggressive. Great production
value because James is first and foremost a producer. That’s how he got his
start with DFA Records (The Record Company he co-owns and runs with Tim
Goldsworthy). Dance-Punk. James Murphy practically invented the genre as the
producer of The Rapture in 1999 on their debut album, Mirrors. It is raw but makes you want to groove. Overall: This is dance-punk as are almost all
LCD Songs. It has obvious roots in punk but the song length, high production
value, and subject matter it is not punk.
James Chance-Big Contributor to the No Wave movement, which
is a movement that is hard to define but incorporates jazz and funk influences
into a punk attitude. It is known for utilizing cacophony and prioritizing
texture over melody. James was a sax player who was into free jazz and you can
hear the jazz influence and the sax riffs. This song is a Michael Jackson cover
and he is generally not considered conventional punk (though James obviously
changes the style and arrangement drastically). It is form a live album
recorded at the Aux Baines Douches in Paris. It was released on a French label
in 1980 and then rereleased worldwide in 2005. Cover Art just shows James’
Face. Sound unproduced and live. Lyrics are pretty sensual though they sound
more sensual when delivered by Michael. “Lovely is the feeling now, Fever
Temperatures Rising Now”. It is still very aggressive and his vocals remind me
a lot of conventional punk. The song is longer than average punk song at six
minutes and sixteen seconds but the tempo is pretty fast. Because of the length
of song, subject matter of lyrics, connection to Michael Jackson and jazz
influence it is not punk but instead “No-wave”.
The Fall- The Classical- The Classical has a constantly
changing lineup (they have changed their lineup 27 times at last count) but the
only consistent member was Mark E. Smith. Very influential in both the punk and
post-punk scenes. James Murphy Called them, “His Beatles”. First track on their
well-acclaimed album, Hex Enduction Hour.
(It was literally one hour long). Released in March 1982. 5 minutes and 16
seconds long. The lyrics are cryptic and at times offensive, “Where are the
obligatory niggers? HEY THERE FUCKFACE!” Apparently this lyric cost the band a
record deal with Motown records. The cover art is of a bunch of scribbles and
pictures. It reminded me of a zine. The tempo is relatively fast and driving
and the vocals are shouted and raw, but the bass is more noticeable and the
instrumentation is more complicated than the average punk song. It was recorded
in a proper studio in Iceland but there are no real production flourishes and
the overall sound quality is not great. Though it is longer than the average
punk song and The Fall often strayed away punk, this song is punk for its
aggressive music and lyrics, zine-esque cover art, raw vocals and low of
production value.