So what exactly is post-punk? In listening to Disco Not Disco, the apple lies close to the tree from which it fell. Channeling chaos’sonically more so than through the vocals themselves’post-punk still doesn’t follow any rules. The bass lines and shaking kick drums are often in danger of being a touch too ‘crunchy,’ flirting with distortion at every waking moment. Everything about music you’ve been told not to do is done. There is no such thing as sterility: clean, open spaces or shiny anything. The result? Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant music.
There’s no better way to start than with the enchanting, dub-stained ‘Launderette’ by Vivien Goldman. As things progress, there isn’t much you won’t find. Headache-worsening drums, guitar in many (and any) forms, nearly unrecognizable vocals’they’re all there. And sure, Konk’s ‘Your Life’ may be a bit much to enjoy at one sitting (weighing in at over seven minutes), but is rushed offstage before you know it, making way for Isotope’s amazing ‘Crunch Cake.’ Think jazz with a slightly phasy, super aggressive piano and a lot of soul. With acts like Delta 5, James White & The Blacks, A Number of Names, and Six Sed Red, there is seldom a moment on this compilation that isn’t dripping with enjoyment. True physical beauty isn’t defined by the wet dream of society, it lies within our imperfections. For every scar, every birth mark, every micrometer of difference that one eye may have in relation to the other, there lies something gorgeous. Music like this reminds us of such a fact.
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