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I tend to talk about all things post-punk on a reasonably regular basis. I guess this is because that brief era in the early to mid-eighties was so creative, so broad in scope, and so brilliantly strange that the ripples of it dropping into the music ocean are still being felt today. It may also speak volumes about the music that I chose to write about.
I mention this because although many people’s idea of what post-punk sounded like was guitar-driven music, either dark rock experiments or shiny new pop sounds, it was very much the birth of the electronica scene. Waves Crashing feels like a band that could have existed in those times, or at least one that is carrying a torch for them.
The great thing about “Life on Display,” their latest digital opus, is that it comes in four versions, making it feel like those 12” singles of that era. Not only do we get the spacious and chiming tones of the original song, built as much from atmospherics and understatement as from beats and sonic sheen, but we are also treated to a radio edit and a purely instrumental version.
But perhaps the most surprising inclusion is the “The Harlem Punk Dub Remix”, which underpins it with a Cure-esque bass line, runs some roots-reggae guitar over the top and dubs and warps the hell out of the music in between. As brilliant as it is unexpected.
This is a great song. Make it a great set of songs and a reminder that post-punk creativity is still alive and kicking…or should that be Crashing?
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