Sign In
 
 
 
 

Description of Post-Punk

 
Post-Punk was led by a conglomeration of artists who applied the sound and ethos of the First Wave of British Punk to disparate musical visions. Post-Punk artists ran the wide gamut, but all were initially linked by an arty, intellectual spirit; from the obscure such as of Human Switchboard and Doll by Doll, to cult favorites such as the Jesus and Mary Chain and Siouxsie and the Banshees, to global superstars such as U2. Whereas Punk wasn't exactly musically innovative, Post-Punk bands experimented with guitar textures, the ever-expanding role of synthesizers and darker themes. Joy Division and the Cure embraced rock's duskier elements, while U2 churned out darkly-hued Political Rock throughout the 1980s.
 

Filed Under

 
 

Post-Punk Key Artists

 
Echo and the Bunnymen

This Liverpool group added
a post-punk mentality to
'60s garage rock and came
up with some of the best
music of the '80s. Bunnym...

Franz Ferdinand

This Scottish quartet update
the early '80s post-punk
template with an air of
camp, polish and sleaze.
The original Franz Ferdina...

Gang of Four

Stuttering guitars, martial
rhythms, funk-inspired
bass, and intellectual lyrics
-- one of the greatest
post-punk outfits. Like th...

Interpol

New York's Interpol draw
heavily from the Gothic and
Post-Punk movements of the
early 1980s. Interpol's
atmospheric and moody s...

Joy Division

Joy Division's stark,
atmospheric tales of
alienation changed the tone
of punk, staging the rise of
post-punk by 1980. After...

Killing Joke

Influential noisemakers
whose tribal approach and
fiery imagery made it
possible to have heavy
music you could dance to...

Mission of Burma

Smart, guitar-heavy,
post-punk pioneers whose
jittery, passionate approach
influenced many an indie
rocker. Time (and covers...

New Order

This synth pop band formed
from Joy Division's remains
has always kept one foot in
the mainstream and the
other underground. New...

Public Image Ltd.

Once a noteworthy attempt
to replace Punk with
something more
challenging, PiL devolved
into just another modern...

Scritti Politti

This British New Wave hit
group featured high, airy
vocals and a subtle leaning
towards hip-hop.

Siouxsie and the Banshees

Punk scenesters from the
beginning, this group were
equally known for their
gothic leanings and great
songwriting. The group a...

Talking Heads

The artistically-inclined
Talking Heads got their start
in the punk stomping
grounds of New York's
CBGB. David Byrne, Tina...

The Birthday Party

The Birthday Party were a
dark post-punk band from
Australia. The group is
where singer Nick Cave first
cut his ghoulish teeth. Th...

The Cure

The Cure have been playing
mope rock for depressed
teens since 1976. Think of it
in terms of units of black
eyeliner sold. Originally c...

The Fall

The Fall are one of the best
and longest-lasting (not to
mention influential) bands
to come out of the
post-punk scene. The Fall...

The Killers

The Killers are a Las
Vegas-bred group whose
epic neo-post-punk rock is
marked by elements of style
and paranoia. The group...

The Mekons

In 1983, these art-damaged
punks morphed into
drunken cowboys. Each
release finds a new way to
express punk's outrage. If...

The Psychedelic Furs

Richard Butler's raspy voice
and Duncan Kilburn's eerie
sax made the 'Furs
left-of-center hit-makers in
the new wave era. Broth...

The Strokes

The Strokes are a
no-nonsense New York
rock group who like pop
songs, brooding facial
expressions and Lou Ree...

Wire

Pioneers of barren, angular
Punk, Wire's herky-jerky
songs leapt past the stuffy
confines of three chords
and a 4/4 rhythm.

Electronics

Listen to any song in the catalog through home audio systems, MP3 players, mobile apps and more.

Get Unlimited Music

Listen to anything and everything with a Rhapsody Subscription.
AMG - Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
© 2001-2009 Listen.com, a subsidiary of RealNetworks