The labels "post-punk" and "new wave" are about as meaningless and interchangeable as "modern rock," "alternative," and "indie." But some songs, like The Church's "Unguarded Moment" or The Cure's "Play for Today," just feel post-punk to me. Here are five others.


Hollow Horse by the Icicle Works
"Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)" tends to eclipse the rest of their work, at least in America, but the Icicle Works produced a catalog of quality music, always defined by Ian McNabb's arching, resonant vocals. They later took on more of a rock sound in songs like "Evangeline" and "Understanding Jane," and showed versatility with "What Do You Want Me to Do." But the earlier stuff is what feels post-punk for me, songs like "Saint's Sojourn" and the glorious "Hollow Horse."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHGKFbJbhIg

A Promise by Echo and the Bunnymen
Another Ian with a voice. Ian McCulloch, Ian McNabb, Ian Curtis, Ian Broudie... what was with all the genius Ians in the Manchester/Liverpool region? The Bunnymen are hardly obscure, but the brooding rawness of their earlier recordings, like "Pictures on My Wall" and even "Clay" is sometimes forgotten.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd3Uj2J-fzE

Never Gonna Cry Again by Eurythmics
Before they hit on the pop formula they would conquer the world with, Eurythmics put out an album their later fans would hardly recognize. Musically, "Belinda" best typifies what I'm talking about, but here's the video of "Never Gonna Cry Again" for the sake of Rowan Atkinson's lookalike on the flute.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KLruiHP8U8

Is Vic There? by Department S
After punk burned the industry down to the ground, everyone looked around and decided they might as well start reinventing music. A lot of this was avante garde, like Talking Heads or Flying Lizards. Or melancholy or menacing, like Joy Division or Bauhaus. But, even in the post-punk era, there was room to capitalize on the moment, and plenty of one-hit wonders, some still remembered, some faded into obscurity, like this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUUA0Fdw_6Q

It Could Be Sunshine by Love and Rockets
It feels wrong to include Love and Rockets in any kind of category, but they're a great band to demonstrate both the continuity and the break between punk and post-punk. "It Could Be Sunshine" is an underrated song with a midstream switch to rival the Damned's "Smash it Up."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WPkinZayTw


Previous Friday's Fives: https://www.cougarboard.com/board/search.html?thread=0&relevance=0&private=0&author=panguitch&parent_author=&text=five%3A&categories=13&searchid=202339309