The Story of Punk: Protopunk
By the late 70s punk was inevitable, but it owed its distinctive sound and attitude to the influence of a number of (primarily American) bands, many of whom went on to build the American punk scene that in turn inspired the British punk scene. The earliest of these protopunk bands were the MC5. Their far-left [...]
The Story of Punk: Experimental Rock
Experimental rock influenced punk in the form of a handful of bands who intentionally subverted mainstream rock conventions and the prevailing counterculture of the late 60s and early 70s out of an essentially provocative approach to rock music. The most important of these groups was The Velvet Underground. Born and bred in New York, The [...]
The Story of Punk: Psychedelic Rock
Although punk was largely a reaction against the inheritors of druggy idealism, a handful of psychedelic bands can claim to belong within the punk tradition. The 13th Floor Elevators were one of these bands – their primal representation of the lysergic experience was in direct contrast to the flowery transcendence of the peace and love [...]
The Story of Punk: Garage Rock
The immediate forerunner of punk rock was the garage rock of the mid 60s. Primarily an American phenomenon, garage rock grew out of the thriving teen culture and rock ‘n’ roll of the 50s and was later influenced by British invasion bands such as The Animals, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. The [...]
Decibel Team’s Top Tens: Lizzy Wilkinson’s Top Ten Music-Inspired Fashion Trends
Punk (1976-1979) Punk fashion, hairstyles and body modifications sprang up in the late seventies to form one of the most memorable movements of last century. Typified by bands such as The Clash, The Sex Pistols and The Ramones, its effect still resonates today, with “Punk Luxe” appearing hither and thither on the catwalks of 2011. [...]
The Angry Corner: The trouble with music genres and ‘London Calling’ by the Clash
Kurtz: Are my methods unsound? Willard: I don’t see any method at all, sir. (Apocalypse Now, 1979) I despise jewel cases. So when I ran out of room to store another CD on the shelves in the living room at home, I had the excuse I was looking for to finally liberate my CDs from [...]
Music Metadata, Laura Marling, Decibel and The Damned
I’ve just started at Decibel, so I don’t know much about music metadata systems, not yet – but I know what I like. And what I like is: information about the music I buy and listen to. Lots of it. I like to make musical connections. I like my enjoyment of a musician or band, [...]