Genre of the Week 5: New Wave (Part 7)

Continued from Part 6

By the 1980's new wave as a style was beginning to fade as it became quite hard to distinguish it from other styles.

This was especially the case with the arrival of genres such as synth pop and new romantic, which although had direct links to new wave, were not new wave.

In its place rose synth pop, with bands like New Order, OMD and Soft Cell proving very successful.

People confused new romantic with new wave. The simple fact though was that it wasn't, and was really just a genre where record labels capitalized on the success of new wave by promoting bands they thought were "similar", as record companies tend to do.

Because of this, bands like Flock of Seagulls, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran became very popular and pretty much just wiped out new wave.

And of course like the death of all musical movements and styles, pop has to take some of the blame. But in this case there was some actually good pop, which also in fact had links to new wave.

I am of course talking about bands such as the Eurythmics and Human League, both of whom took the visual and quirky aspects of new wave and put them to good use.

And that then is your New Wave week. New wave peaked between 1977 and 1981 before being overtaken and overrun by the commercial side of the industry.

Its legacy can be seen in that it was one of the first independent music scenes and directly went on to influence the alternative and indie scenes that came after it. It was also a refreshing and quirky music scene for a time where the music industry was a money-making zenith. Some of the best music of the late-70's and early-80's came out of this scene.

Its influence on modern indie and alt rock is also clearly evident, with bands such as the Strokes, Interpol, Arctic Monkeys, Tame Impala and Arcade Fire all owing a massive debt musically to new wave. The term "new new wave" has also been used in recent years to describe scenes.

And with that it seems fitting to go out with a new wave anthem written by Nick Lowe and performed by Elvis Costello.

 - Sam

Genre of the Week 5: New Wave

#GenreoftheWeek New Wave 

This week has been New Wave week at Nowhere Bros. I have been posting daily about New Wave, its history, its artists and its legacy. 

Below is a list of the songs I posted. Although it is not a definitive playlist, it is a starting point for getting into New Wave, or re-familiarizing yourself with New Wave, yes it has been a while since it was a thing. There are of course plenty more tracks out there as well. 

It has been a wonderful week posting about New Wave, what a great movement it was for music. Karl is back this coming week with a new genre. Should be good... in the mean time that is me, peace out. 

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There is also a Spotify Playlist for your listening pleasure - NewWave/NowhereBros

Nowhere Bros New Wave Week Playlist 

Kilburn & the High Roads – “Patience (So What)” (Handsome, 1975)

Dr Feelgood – “Roxette (Live)” (Stupidity, 1976)

Graham Parker & The Rumour – “Hold Back The Night” (Single, 1977)

Television – “See No Evil” (Marquee Moon, 1977)

Elvis Costello – “Watching The Detectives” (My Aims Is True, 1977)

The Stranglers – “Peaches” (Rattus Norvegicus, 1977)

Split Enz – “My Mistake” (Dizrythmia, 1977)

Blondie – “Picture This” (Parallel Lines, 1978)

Nick Lowe – “Cruel To Be Kind’ (Jesus of Cool, 1978)

Devo – “Satisfaction” (Q: Are We Not Men?: A: We Are Devo!, 1978)

The Cars – “Just What I Needed” (The Cars, 1978)

The Police – “Can’t Stand losing You’ (Outlandos d’Amour, 1978)

The B-52’s – “Rock Lobster” (The B-52’s, 1979)

XTC – “Making Plans For Nigel” (Drums and Wires, 1979)

Ian Dury – “There Ain’t Half Been Some Clever Bastards” (Single, 1979)

Gary Numan – “Cars” (The Pleasure Principle, 1979)

Joy Division – “Disorder” (Unknown Pleasures, 1979)

Talking Heads – “Heaven” (Fear of Music, 1979)

Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding” (Armed Forces, 1979)

The Cure – “Boys Don’t Cry” (Boys Don’t Cry, 1980)

The Jam – “Dreams Of Children” (Single, 1980)

The Specials – “Friday Night, Saturday Morning” (More Specials, 1981)

Madness – “It Must Be Love” (Single, 1981)

Duran Duran – ‘Planet Earth” (Duran Duran, 1981)

Human League – “Love Action” (Dare, 1981)

Dexy’s Midnight Runners – “Let’s Make This Precious’ (Too-Rye-Ay, 1982)

New Order – “Age Of Consent” (Power, Corruption and Lies, 1983)

The Pretenders – “Middle Of the Road” (learning to Crawl, 1983)

Psychedelic Furs – “The Ghost In You” (Mirror Moves, 1984)

Echo & The Bunnymen – ‘Lips Like Sugar” (Echo & The Bunnymen, 1987)

- Sam 

Fat Freddy's Drop - Bays (2015)

Fat Freddy’s Drop are a musical national treasure that deserve wider recognition but do not generally receive it. They tour Europe every year, sell out every gig and have a massive cult following overseas. Here, in New Zealand they are popular, don’t get me wrong, but it seems they should be more popular than they are. Is it because of the style of music they play? Reggae/dub/roots music seems to be snubbed by the mainstream even though it has a massive legacy in New Zealand going back to the Herbs and other similar artists. Is it because they tend to stay out of the media spotlight? Or, is it because they tend to take long breaks between releasing new material? Who really knows.

The thing that makes the Freddy’s so good, is that they are master musicians, whether it is Toby, Joe and Scott on horns or DJ Fitchie on the decks. They also do things on their terms, they release their music independently, they book their own gigs, they do their own promotion and they release music when they want to. This is hard to do in a music scene the size of New Zealand, but the Freddy’s have made a career out of it and a successful career at that. Musically, they are also a great example of a modern-day fusion act. People call their music roots music, a term I hate. And, yeah there is some roots/reggae in their no doubt, but there is also dub, funk, jazz, soul and techno influences, and it is these influences that have been brought out especially on their previous album “Blackbird”, as well as their latest release “Bays”.

“Bays”, named after the groups studio in Wellington is Fat Freddy’s fouth studio album and second in three years, a record of sorts for a band who take long breaks between albums. Their previous album “Blackbird” was arguably their best, meaning “Bays” had a lot to live up to. However, I can safely say afte a few listens it achieves this, continuing on with the fusion sound that “Blackbird” explored and doing it very, very well.

The album kicks off with the funk blues of “Wairunga Blues”. This track is driven by a real funky guitar riff and has a bit of a Stevie wonder and Meters feel to it. A great start to the album and a good sign of things to come. Next up is “Slings And Arrows”, this is classic Freddy’s with reggae coming to the fore with loud horns and a driving reggae beat. This track is the most roots-sounding track on the album and is bound to be a crowd pleaser. “10 Feet Tall” has a laid-back summer feel to it and harks back to the bands first album, combining elements of techno, dub and reggae. To my mind this track also has a 70’s soul feel to it in places. “Wheels” for mine is the weakest track on the album and is a bit of an experimental techno piece which doesn’t really go anywhere. The Freddy’s are at their best when their songs are a bit like musical journeys which go off in different directions and take unexpected turns, something this track doesn’t really do. Thankfully, the next track “Razor” brings the level up again with its sick groove in a style that I would describe as dark industrial techno. This track allows DJ Fitchie to showcase his skills as a beatmatcher and selector and is one of the album centrepieces. I am pretty sure if remixed this would be well-received on the club circuit.

The second half of the album kicks off with the soulful “Makkan”. This one starts with a very nice jazzy sax riff and some quite delicate guitar licks that just shimmer down through the speakers. It then continues on with some interesting percussive beats that hold down the track aided by some very soulful vocals from Joe Dukie. All in all, a nice laid-back alt-jazz track. This is followed by “Fish in the Sea”, another one of the centrepieces of the album. This track builds and builds in the first half before reaching a massive climax in the middle of the song in the form of an all out funky jam of quite epic proportions, before descending again. For me one of the songs of the year. And, then if that wasn’t enough, the next track “Cortina Motors” continues in the same vain. This is a real dance floor banger that kicks off with some booming beats from Fitchie before transitioning into a sort of techno funk track with a massive horn sound and some fantastic rhythms. Another album highlight for sure. Finally, the album ends with ‘Novak” and after the previous two tracks is a bit like a come down after a massive high, but a good come down at that. This track has a slow funky blues quality to it with some very bluesy guitar licks, a thumping backbeat and some New Orleans-style horns. A nice way for the album to end on.

So in conclusion, “Bays” for me reinforces how the Freddy’s are masters of fusing different styles of music together and in the process allowing them to showcase their collective talents as musicians. The production on this album is fantastic, the horns sound so fresh and clean, while the beats and rhythms give a great foundation to all of the tracks, allowing the vocals, guitar and horns to sit on top and at times jam out as seen on the longer tracks. I see “Bays” as being the second part of a two part trilogy that began with “Blackbird”. Music critics have spoken of how The Beatles “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver” were a bit like part one and two because of their musical similarities, well to me, “Blackbird” and “Bays” are Fat Freddy’s “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver” and help secure their legacy as one of the great New Zealand bands of all time. “Bays” has to be one of the albums of the year and is a must listen. If you can get to a Freddy’s show this summer I highly recommend you do, because they are an excellent live band and I reckon these tracks will go down a treat live. 

A

- Sam 

Genre of the Week 5: New Wave (Part 6)

Continued from Part 5

Today we are gonna look at how new wave branched out into the mainstream and internationally.

One of the first bands to do this was The Cars. Formed in Boston, The Cars new wave style combined a 70's guitar rock sound with a more 80's synth-driven pop sound.

All in all, they combined the best bits of the past and present, and did it very well.

The Pretenders were another band who had mainstream success with their brand of new wave. Their sound had a harder, punkier edge to it than a lot of new wave. However, at other times they also explored jangle pop.

Apart from a couple of hits in the States, the band did better commercially in the UK, but were generally hailed critically by both American and British critics.

The Police were probably the most commercially successful new wave band, if you can call them new wave. Technically they were, but they quickly transitioned into the classic rock/stadium rock goldfish bowl by the time the 80's came along, and in turn were subsequently hated by a lot of their music contemporaries.

But, in saying that, their early material was very much influenced by reggae and punk and you can certainly see this in tracks such as "Roxanne", "So Lonely" and...this track.

New Wave wasn't just a UK-US thing, it also went international, even reaching New Zealand.

Although they formed before new wave, Split Enz quickly developed a quirky-pop sound that combined with a very unique visual look.

Their style and sound was eclectic and it was hard to really pin point them to a particular style, but hey they fitted very well within new wave, because new wave as a movement was eclectic also.

Continued in Part 7!

- Sam

Genre of the Week 5: New Wave (Part 5)

Continued from Part 4

There was a tendency for new wave to take inspiration from punk but move forward musically. However, in England a few bands decided to look back, drawing inspiration from movements and genres long gone.

One of these scenes was Two Tone, a musical movement that looked to Ska and reggae for inspiration. The prime group in this scene was The Specials, and their socially conscious, ska-influenced sound was commercially and critically successful.

Madness were another band that formed part of the Two Tone movement, and, like The Specials at the time, they also had routes in ska.

Dexy's Midnight Runners also looked back, but not to reggae. Instead, they took influence from soul and R&B.

Their horn-driven new wave soul sound combined well with lyrics which explored the social climate of late-70's England.

The last of the British new wave bands which looked back were The Jam. They were part of what was labelled the mod-revival.

They dressed like mods, rode scooters and drew musical inspiration from 60's R&B and pop.

Paul Weller was also a master song-writer and took up the challenge of being a spokesman for his generation, writing for the working class and taking aim against Thatcher England.

 Continued in Part 6!

 - Sam