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 Lists
01.10.20 paps runs through his favs real quick (12.07.19 just gonna put this here to remember
07.17.19 On Hip-Hop07.08.19 June 2019 resumé
07.03.19 Actual User Appreciation Thread06.30.19 JULY19 Songs of the Day
06.26.19 Unknown Post-Punk #406.13.19 Papa's Wifey's List of Favs
06.08.19 May 2019 resumé06.07.19 Sputnik R.I.P. list
06.03.19 mid-year metal rundown05.29.19 another one of those bm threads
05.27.19 Unknown Post-Punk #3 ♦05.23.19 looking for an album/band
05.22.19 stuff my cat seems to like05.08.19 recent black metal demos and lo-fi nons
05.05.19 April 2019 resumé05.03.19 Sput's 2019 Random-Album-Review 2019 Ga
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Unknown Post-Punk #1

Venture with me to the anaals of forgotten, underrated, popularity-lacking or just plain overlooked albums and bands in post-punk, goth, deathrock, new wave, darkwave, coldwave, no wave, synth wave, minimal wave, revivalism, industrial post-punk, shoegaze-mixtures and all that comes with. This was supposed to be my farewell offering as Sputnik's Home Post-Punk Maester before I give the burden of the job to Tyler., but the production got a little too wind (and outside of beating me in post-punk-off, Tyler. didn't do shit to earn the title), as more and more entries started getting added up with the list initially being alphabetical, but now counting a little over 1200 entries (I shit you not), so I'll just be releasing them separately, in no order, just by levels of completion. If there is an artist missing, they're either too popular, have too many albums to just pick one and are in either one of the past or one of the future episodes of Don't You Forget Us series, or will most likely be added in the future instalments of this list, but still go ahead and suggest them, even though it's unlikely I didn't already encompass them in the 1200 already existing entries (just to brag a little more about the work I am yet to do). Underneath the descriptions are some tracks off the albums that are either best, most accessible or simply encapsulate the true meaning and atmosphere of the album and the band. And without much further ado, here comes:
1Aimless Device
Hard to Be Nice

ESSENTIAL!
There is a lot of disappointment surrounding this album. First, in spite of how good it is, the band never made a follow-up. Second, it is only 5 brief tracks long. But those 5 tracks are fantastic. They scream with sorrow and bitterness, while the instruments spew synthetic production that is just oh so biting.

No Friend of Mine, Till the Rain Fall, Hyena
2Dark Day
Exterminating Angel

This album's main defining trait is its robotic and almost computer-generated nature, constantly preaching about perks and aspects of human life. Everything, from its computery-sounding electronic arrangement to the mechanical monotone vocals, seems like it was created on a cyber-converyorbelt for purposes of infiltrating the human race and replacing it with its perfected self, one devoid of emotion and doubt.

Arp's Carpet, Chameleon, Crib Death
3The Diagram Brothers
Some Marvels Of Modern Science

Cleverly balancing on the fence between critically bitter and swiftly fun, Diagram Brothers' now almost legendary offering was released deep underground and after the initial success in the circles of enthusiasts, it stays relatively hidden. It often reaches from maniacally mesmerising to surprisingly catchy, given the intentionally rough execution.

Those Men in White Coats, Put It In a Bigger Box, Words from Major, Bikers
4Lucrate Milk
I Love You Fuck Off

Weird screeching instruments and even more screeching vocals. This is the record only for the most desperate of you; for those who really need even something resemlbing Post-Punk in their lives, because this thing will twist and throttle with you in ways you never thought possible. It's a shrieking, messy and utmost unpleasant experience, but one that is just so goddamn weird that you have to listen to it all the way through.

La cloche, Magnum, Kick Your Ass
5Manicured Noise
Northern Stories 1978/80

ESSENTIAL!
How does one make a compilation of all recordings ever so damn consistent? There is not a weak spot on this over an hour long compilation. There is not a song that wouldn't be a banger. This is all pure energy, fun and youthful, pure late 70s genre-forming experimentation, exciting and unique. Saxophones and post-punk tinglings all the way.

Metronome, Moscow 1980, Freetime, Payday, Competition, Music A, Counterplan, Music B, Soundtrack
6Come On
New York City 1976-80

ESSENTIAL!
Come On are one of those anomaly bands that only start to receive some kind of cult following decades after they start out and subsequently die within the following couple of fruitless years. And this compilation shows us that what we've lost is a really decent Punk band. They are raw, properly pissed and with solid enough enthusiasm to carry an album worth of memorable tunes that all play out in that typical Proto-Post-Punk 70s not-so-aggressive sound. It's an upfront and lively album that deserves a spit for the sake of the memory.

A Kitchen in the Clouds, Don't Walk on the Kitchen Floor, I'm Five, Bad Luck and Parents, Salt and Pepper
7Antiguo Regimen
Política De Tierra Quemada

Bringing forth the word of Spanish Post-Punk acts, Antiguo Regimen is a band that wears its influences in its sleeves, but in such a confident way that you will forget all ybout them. It's a solid dose of supremely mellow, ethereal Post-Punk that is poignant and posesses a healthy amout panache.

Politica de tierra quemada, Antiguo Régimen, Desorden mundial, Observaciones
8BFG
Blue

ESSENTIAL!
Shoutout to SandwichBubble for introducing me to this band.
Two things about this band and this album should be instantly captivating: First, the line-up consists of ex-The Cult, ex-New Order, ex-The Smiths and ex-Joy Division band members; and second, this album was described by Boston College Radio as "the album of the decade". And in a way I can see why. This is an incredibly eclectic collection of songs that manage to reach into every singel direction and hold a tight grip on whatever they find there and still come off incredibly cohesive as a whole in the end.

Love Grind, Anonymous, Switch, Myth Club, Brain Cage, Monkey Block
9The Boys Next Door
Door, Door

Before Nick Cave Nicked his Cave, he played that good old Punk on the verge of being Post-Punk (or vice verse, it doesn't really matter). It is fast, energetic and raw. Nick Cave's vocals, while nothing outstandingly unusual for the genre, are still quite awkward. On the other hand, the intensity, the instrumentation and the sheer fun energy of the band makes up for almost all of the album's flaws.

Friends of My World, Somebody's Watching
10Ja Ja Ja
Ja Ja Ja

Fans of striking bass, pay attention. Sure, the vocals might be somewhat laughably obnoxious, verging on some ancient Hip-Hop kind of delivery, but the damn instrumental side of it is impeccable. It has mind-numbing bass, wild sax and surprisingly well produced drums, considering it is a no-name underground release from 1982.

Graffitti Artists International, Mom, Destiny
11One Life
The Crowning

Quite an accessible little Goth EP without any star-like aspirations, but also not too grounded to sound bland and incomprehensive. It's a perfectly acceptable little endeavour with some surprising guitar solos.

The Crowning, Fate, Holy Grace
12Yeesh
Confirmation Bias

Confidently combining Noise Rock and Post-Punk with a really heavy emphasis on instrumental swiftness and choking production. The album sounds and seems like it should be one of the typical revivalist over-ambitious for their own good kinds of albums, but it so cleverly plays around that with some heavy dose of slapping, crushing and blood-pumping off-kilter instrumental work (and surprisingly good riffs). It's not your typical revivalist album, that's for sure.

Xan Wagon, Limbo District, World Building, End Results, Frontline, Placeholder
13Paradise Now
I'm So Glad

Ever wondered what happened to those bands like Paradise Now that only released a single or two and then never reappeared? Apparently there is nothing that came of Paradise Now apart from this two-song 7". Not to say I am surprised, since this is a fairly middle-of-the-road New Wave simplicity. Nothing too flashy and nothing too drab. It's absolute mildness.

I'm So Glad I Found You
14New Mexico
Malpais

Here's a question. Can a typical Post-Punk revivalist album be uplifting, yet still hold all of its aspects such as brooding instrumentation, somewhat worrisome monotone vocals and dark themes? While Malpais by Californian band New Mexico doesn't provide a definite answer, it certainly isn't a downer record and meanders around that idea a lot. There's a hidden joy and fun behind it. It sounds like someone who loves Post-Punk a tad too much tried to make a unsual Indie album. Catchiness and sweetness of melodies and arrangement guaranteed.

Alpha Male, Winter Rentals, Wandering, Johnny Garcon, Blankets, In Formation
15Public Memory
Wuthering Drum

Somehow not entirely falling into the pit of absolute derivative sameness, Public Memory gracefully holds its position somewhere on the verge of turning into just a slightly Post-Punk inspired Dark Electronica.

Mirror, Cul De Sac, As You Wish, Zig Zag
16James Chance and the Contortions
Lost Chance

A much less discussed, but ultimately just as crazy and chaotic as their seminal and highly influential album Buy. Lost Chance is scrambled together from what sounds like a collection of either very good demos or live performances. Either way, it's ugly, just like a good James Chance album should be.

Super Bad, Sex Maniac, White Cannibal, Melt Yourself Down, King Heroin
17James White and the Blacks
Off White

Well, the only real reason this album and this band as a whole exists is that James Chance wanted to play the exact same kind of music with a new lineup… and also because he wanted to justify adding some really awkward spoken-word pseudo-skits. Otherwise, this album is still that same old James Chance in all of his cocky earshattering sax-wielding musical obscurity.

Contort Yourself, (Tropical) Heat Wave
18Capital Inicial
Capital Inicial

This band has released enough material to qualify for a full entry into the Don't You Forget Us series, but unfortunately they soon after their start switched to full on Pop-Rock. This is their first album, where the Post-Punk/Goth elements are much more prevalent. It still has that poppy aethetic, but is played to a tad darker tone. It's a fun and enjoyable album of quite typical above-average songs that were good enough in the 80s and have stood the test of time and sound great today too.

Música Urbana, Psicopata, Tudo Mal, Leve Desespero, Cavalheiros, Fátima
19Supernova 1006
Blackout

Dense, psychotic, cosmic, dystopian electronica-saturated synth/dark/coldwave. It is half head-bashing, half head-banging. It is dismal, but also fun as hell.

Run (All Systems), Juggernaut, Killer Whale, Humaths, Mission, All Over Again
20Ploho
Куда Птицы Улетают Умирать

Did you know there was a prominent underground darkwave movement in Russia? Well, there is. Not that Ploho are the branding name or anything, but they are a prolific part of it, even though their music is essentially as by-the-numbers as it can possibly get.

God Has Hell, Country of Fools, When You Are at Home
21Positive Noise
Heart of Darkness

ESSENTIAL!
On the cocky and rapid side of things, but also with a stubborn heart and fierce attitude. Heart of Darkness delivers a multi-dimensional record that contains both nonchalantly straightforward Punk tracks and beautifully despair-ridden ones that fall more on the Post side. The album's work with soundscapes and instrumental tricks make this a worthwhile listen in and of itself. The atmosphere has the feeling of intentionally masked torment due to one's stubbornness, which at times breaks through and sets its roots deep into your mind.

No More Blood and Soil, And Yet Again, Down There
22This Mortal Coil
Filigree & Shadow

ESSENTIAL!
By no means is This Mortal Coil actually unknown. But underrated? All the way. And that is just strange to me, considering how much people like subtly building, long-winded, beautiful atmospheric music. This Mortal Coil is all about that. It is also quite incorrect to call them Post-Punk. It's just a myriad of musicians, including a great chunk of Post-Punk ones, that came together to create something beautiful. It's basically proto-Gorillaz. And this is as beautiful as it can possibly get.

Velvet Belly, The Jeweller, Ivy and Neet, Tarantula, Strength of Strings, Morning Glory, I Want to Live, A Heart of Glass, Alone, Mama K (2), The Horizon Bleeds and Sucks Its Thumb
23She Past Away
Belirdi Gece

This album requires patience. You also need to be ready for some moody, subdued, low-toned, deeply-sung and melodically nocturnal Darkwave music. If you need something you can get into quickly and not be challenged by an odd sound, then look further, cause this ain't it. Instead of playing it accessible, this band does all it can to create an atmosphere of dread and despair. If you though Ian Curtis' vocals are subpar, you'll probably deem these to be an absolute pinnacle of awfulness. But if you do manage to get through the wall of oddity, you'll be rewarded with some deeply electrifying production and brooding atmosphere.

Rituel, Kasvetli Kutlama, Insalar, Belirdi Gece (Musallat)
24Rational Youth
Cold War Night Life

There's a strangely jolly and uplifting essence this album possesses, even though its themes are inherently dark. I suppose the electronic arrangement does the trick. It has a high level of joy within its production, even though it takes away from the thematic heaviness. But on the other hand, it is reminiscent of old Space-Pop from the 70s, which is always a good thing (bless you, Space Art).

Beware the Fly, Just a Sound in the Night
25Pop. 1280
Paradise

ESSENTIAL!
The most insane Post-Punk played as Electronica, that's the premise and that's the utterly mind-bending execution. Pop. 1280 delve into the strangest territories of the genre with the most visceral Industrial approach. Man, this thing is hellish.

USS ISS, Chromidia, Phantom Freighter, Pyramids On Mars, The Last Undertaker
26Pylon (US)
Gyrate

Pylon has an inherently likeable energy to them. You can just sense the fun they're having with their eased-out, carefree, tad sloppy instrumentation. It's all in the sense of good time. It's a must-listen for anyone who likes their music a bit kookier and more off-the-wall.

Feast on My Heart, Human Body, Stop It
27Black Marble
A Different Arrangement

In their essence, Black Marble don't stray that far from the most typical and unoriginal Post-Punk aesthetic. Their music has a clearly outlined bass, hollowing background synths, calm songwriting and quiet vocals; that is a standard formula. But somehow they manage to overcome the tired usual sound and deliver a whole new kind of blissful atmosphere. This sounds very much like if every suicidal Post-Punk musician in history had radically different worldview.

MSQ No-Extra, A Different Arrangement, UK, Pretender
2823 Skidoo
Seven Songs

This is not the album to start off this list with. It is as far from traditional Post-Punk as one can get, while still holding that tag. This is rather a worldly technical ayahuasca filled with some kind of pleasure-dystopian nightmarish and often strident, somewhat avant-garde, non-descript obscurities. But in spite of its style not being a clear follower of the genre's boundaries, this album is as if made for a list like this. Admired as a strangeness from the past, unfit to stand along its stylistic peers.

Vega El Bandito, IY
29Silently Down
Sadness

Let's be honest, this New Wave/Synth-punk style is not the most usual thing to make a revivalism of. So to see Silently Down refresh that genre is actually really nice. It might still drown in that typical Post-Punk gloominess true of pretty much every revivalist band, but it at least serves as a pleasant look into the style not as often taken into consideration. So thank you, Silently Down.

Reflection, Alone, Strange Times, Goodbye
30Ideal
Ideal

Another one of the German wave of Post-Punk extravaganzas. If you need a reference, it's basically an album of Nena's 99 Luftballoons, but a little instrumentally darker. People often don't realise that this was a whole movement back in the day. And this album might just be one of the most encapsulating of those. There is a sense of childish fun on here, in spite of darker themes.

Berlin, Irre, Rote Liebe, Telephon
31Shame (UK)
Songs of Praise

Shame decided to venture into the more angry direction and deliver a collection of tenner lo-fi tracks, each trying to be slightly differently angsty and bitter. The result is an album dissonant, both structurally and in its sound.

Dust on Trial, Concrete, One Rizla, Gold Hole, Lampoon
32The Shyness of Strangers
Time

Such an unashamed Joy Division jerkoff that they even state it in the official description from -get this- Unknown Pleasures Records. Yeash. However, they also say that the band is for the fans of Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, so you get points for that.

Wrong, If It Serves You, Who Are You, Everything
33Second Layer
World Of Rubber

The Sound's direct offspring, but not one similar in spirit. While the Sound's (ehm) sound was always a testament to its times, beginning with rougher and Punkier roots, continuing into moody meddling territories and ending with a rather somewhat ambient-ish approach, Second Layer (as well as most other Adrian Borland's side projects) has delved into experimental grounds right off. It's a sharp, piercing expression of raw emotional power. It may not be as massively heart-touching as some of the Sound's material, but it surely is moving in its own way.

In Bits, Fixation, Zero, Skylon
34Delta 5
See The Whirl

Delta 5 is a band that is difficult to talk about. Their style is quite similar to other female-led Post-Punk endeavours of the time (the 80s that is) such as Au Pairs, Lene Lovich or Lizzy Mercier, so you can expect a lot of laid-back, slow instrumental strangeness that is far from melodic or even relying on it. So what can I really say about it. I have no fucking clue. And that is kind of captivating in and of itself.

Circuit, Open Life, Shadow, Journey, Make Up, Telephone
35Nice Face
Immer Etwas

By no means an actual Post-Punk band, but still one borrowing heavily from the genre. Nice Face is not a nice band. Their brand of melting obscurist's eulogy Noise seems like one of those things that tries to make itself seem as unlikeable as it can with a heavy dose of personal disgust, but is just so inherently charming and overwhelmingly intriguing that all of its attempts at turning sour become obsolete and the listener only indulges in deciphering the music.

I Want Your Damage, A Gaping Gash, Situation is Facing Utter Annihilation, Selectron
36Girls At Our Best!
Pleasure

I recommend the expanded 22-track version to the original 17-track one, for better and fuller experience. Too many 80s Post-Punk/New Wave bands dealt with either gloomy sorrow or primitive melodramatic mushy sappiness, but bands like Girls At Our Best! have excelled in the idea of purely fun, stressless, carefree and catchy Punk-ish Pop-Rock that takes a lot out of Post-Punk/New Wave aesthetic. Get on it, it's fun.

Getting Nowhere Fast, Warm Girls, Go for Gold, Waterbed Babies, Goodbye to That Jazz
37D.U.D.S
Of A Nature or Degree

To prove that revivalism is not only about dark eyeliner, depression and muddy, engrossing basslines, look no further

No Remark, Signal Sign, The Nose, Split on Both Sides, Keine, Of Nature, Elastic Seal
38Dislocation Dance
Midnight Shift

ESSENTIAL!
The only reason this band doesn't have a full entry of their own is because they only released five albums and that is not enough. Cleverly combining waving Jazz, calming Blues, warm symphonies and starry-eyed lounge comfort with traditional Post-Punk structures, resulting in an array of beautifully pleasant melodies, sounds and vibes. As if this album caressed your ears with its kindness and sweetness.

Show Me, I'm Doing Fine, Tyrranies of Fun, Baby Blue, Bottle of Red Wine, San Michelle
39Ambitious Lovers
Greed

So 80s that it tears my shirt off and paints it pink. Such a clash of New Wave flare and regular Pop glamour that it makes you wonder how come you don't vomit glitter yet. That's the kind of overly sugary sensational experience we're talking about.

Caso, King, Quasi You
40Solid Space
Space Museum

Who would have guessed that back in the day Synthpop was more than electronic overload and explosive choruses. Apparently, it had much to do with Post-Punk and New Wave. And neither of those things in a regular, humanly understandible manner. This is really off-colour, monochrome in fact.

Spectrum is Green, New Statue (Morning Song), A Darkness in My Soul, Tenth Planet, Please Don't Fade Away
41I'm So Hollow
Emotion / Sound / Motion

ESSENTIAL!
Switching vocally from male to female and combining the esoteric instrumentation of Post-Punk with naturally New Wave melodic sweetness (and synths). This band knows how to play around with tuneful depth and atmospheric intensity and how to enhance their sound within a song by adding or taking notes and chords, creating an atmosphere still unique enough to be engrossing, but also strangely tender.

Entrance, Which Way?, Collisions, The Triangular Hour, Distraction
42Dif Juz
Extractions

Welcome to the smoothest and classiest of Post-Punk derivatives, the Bluesy one. It's slick and calming. It's devoid of sorrow, stress or crudity. It's a lavish, posh and sophisticated effort with some instrumental surprises and minimum vocal contribution. It basically is the opposite of everything Post-Punk should be. There is no hollow atmosphere of distress or the distress' impact, there is no lyrical insertion of direct savagery or worried sadness. It is in fact absolutely nauseatingly kind.

Crosswinds, A Starting Point, The Last Day, Marooned, Echo Wreck
43Bleib Modern
Antagonism

This is as echoic as it can get without having to be called Shoegaze. It's a dismal, abysmal, grisly album of the darkest, most repressed sorrows and fears one can have. There's no hope. There's no light. There's only distaste and amoral lack of empathy.

Mirror, Anxiety, Sunless
44Skeletal Family
Burning Oil

Poorly produced, badly sung and Metal-derivative. But expect the unexpected, as this album kicks you in the guts with its ultimately ugly-ass delivery with that old DIY aesthetic. There is almost a hateful atmosphere and thematic within, although not necessarily present in the lyrics. It seems like the band tried to sound as tortured, but also as rotten as they could.

Burning Oil, Waiting Here, Someone New, Black Ju Ju, The Night
45Bestial Mouths
Bestial Mouths

ESSENTIAL!
Purgatory! There is no word better to describe this album. It's a collection of Industrially charged Goth demonic spirit darkening hell. In only 9 tracks it bends and shapes in ways you never thought possible, all within one style, pumping your blood and melting your brain as you go along.

Ceased, Reunion, Vatic Vision, Earth, Movement
46Juliette Jade
Terrarium

Shoutout to teamster for introducing me to this band.
Terrarium is a dissonant, oddly charming and magnetic project filled with raw, earpiercing instrumentation and a muddy distroted production that only adds to the album's overall heaviness and appeal. The soft vocals could have used some range and the DIY atmosphere with the amateurish production also don't always complimetn the music, but overall, this is a damn solid album for a one-man self-releasing bands.

Allegory, Room 7, Killer, Frozen Time, Ashes of Light, Dusk
47Death Index
Death Index

Ugly sound, deep-vocals, dirty instrumentation. Pure Noise Post-Punk. That's how it's done, lads and gens.

Dream Machine, Fuori Controllo, FUP, Little 'n' Pretty, Patto Noc Dio
48Cult of Youth
Final Days

Cult of Youth seem to have set out to revive and refresh every single Post-Punk style from the past, because this album is full of the odd and off-beat strangeness, acoustic darkness, raw aggression and slow-pace sorrow. It just shoots into every single direction with hopes of hitting something, whatever that may be. But in spite of its general outlook, the album manages to stay cohesive and focused, mainly due to the acoustic guitar being in the lead for the entirety of the album.

Dragon Rouge, Empty Fraction, No Regression
49Horrid Red
Gold of Days

It's not the easiest task to find something in Horrid Red's discography to recommend people. I do believe the band deserves your attention, but their style is quite… unusual. The combination of almost ridiculous, unconventionally structured intrumental and production strangeness, the often enigmatica and lavish songwriting together with almost exotic otherworldly atmosphere, it all is sometimes hard to swallow. Gold of Days might just be the most "normal" and straightforward of the band's releases, therefore it is my pick for recommendation, even though I strongly encourage you to taste the band's repertoire in its entirety.

The Wind Through My Tears, Jungle Girl, Flame in a Cloud, Obedient Servant
50Crispy Ambulance
The Plateau Phase

Crispy Ambulance has a crispy sound. The way they play out that cold, muddy and biting like your grandma's handmate sweater style is just frantic. Strongly recommended to anyone seeking a disjointed, panicky, frustrated andsomewhat quieter sound in their Post-Punk.

The Wind Season, We Move Through the Plateau Phase, Brado Plane, Federation, Simon's Ghost
51Second Still
Second Still

Coldwave lives. I know it's derivative at this point, what with all those new revival bands practically rehashing the exact same styles that were big back in the day, but a part of me is still glad that new, young, bright minds get attracted to the idea of such undergound oddities like Coldwave. It just warms my heart (ironic, seeing as the genre's name is literally the opposite of that).

Recover, Sleep, Judgment
52Century Palm
Meet You

Meet You feels like it's fatigued a lot. Not that it is lazy or hazy in its delivery, on the contrary, it is quite energetic. But it feels like it is made by someone experiencing a great deal of frustration to a point of absolute exhaust that now flows out of them in a stream of fast-paced, but mild-mannered ballads.

Trapped Here, Sick of It, New Creation, Desire
53The Gordons
The Gordons

Positioned amidst the very outburst of Post-Punk, when the genre was only coming to terms with its format, this album borrows heavily from its contemporaries, but also adds a great deal to the overall genre's shape. The Gordons provide an impressive array of dissonant instrumentation, bleak themes and mesmerising songwriting. It's a perfect transition album for the ones going from regular Punk into Post-Punk.

Right on Time, Coalminers Song, I Just Can't Stop
54Babel 17
Celeano Fragments

ESSENTIAL!
Babel 17 basially laid foundation for nearly every single modern revivalist band. It's a Joy Division derivative with darker than night and overwhelming in its hollowness atmosphere. Even though the band itself never saw any major success, this is undoubtedly that point in time, when Joy Division-esque bands completely took over. It's a dense, poignant, brooding and engulfing experience.

Watch, Angels of T.V., Darkest Years, Wizards and Ghosts, A Journey Inside
55Life Without Principle
Life Without Principle

A certain mixture of cheesiness and that carefree attitude that made the 80s insufferable to some and everything to live for for others.

Find Yourself Inside, Much Too Much, Business As Usual
56Hawks
No Cash Value

Do you seek a more Lo-Fi, abrasive and in-your-face Post-Punk (with emphasis on Punk)? Look no further. Hawks are a pissed-off, heavy and dissonant act of dilettante musical vagabonds, travelling from Post-punk to Hardcore and back with no fixed genre address. It's a furious journey and one that sticks in mind at least because of its fist-forming atitude.

Tone Deaf, Dust Up, Silk/Slime‎, Blacktop,
57Artery
One Afternoon In A Hot Air Balloon

If simple, almost childishly silly, songwriting and instrumentation, but with sometimes darker than night themes is something you seek, look no further. It's such a strange combination this album presents. It plays as if in a Disney Channel cartoon, but then the lyrics go "Like midnight suicide rips on into the day." Yeah, that's odd. The music itself is piano-heavy and extremely soft and easy-going. It's not hard to get through, so don't let the obscure musical/lyrical combo fool you.

Unbalanced, Potential Silence
58Cold Showers
Matter Of Choice

Considering how derivative this album is and how openly on its sleeves it carries its influences, it is quite surprising that it turned out to be as striking as it is. Cold Showers don't try to push the envelope or shoot for the stars with this record, they only want to make decent job with the style they enjoy and respect. It's a pleasant album, even though not a breath of fresh air.

She Hangs On, Only Human, Plantlife, Whatever You Want, Ceasefire
59The Southern Death Cult
The Southern Death Cult

Post-Punk has always been on two conflicting fronts: the vivid and nonchalant kind against the sorrowful and bleaker part. By the end of the 80s it became quite obvious that the standard of brooding, mournful music set by the likes of Joy Division and the Cure had taken over the entire genre. It won. And many bands were striving to catch a piece of that style-riding. One such precedent were the Southern Death Cult (early incarnation of The Cult). The band isn't trying to wow the listeners with striking melodies and outstanding instrumental performances. Rather, its tactics are way more precise and psychological. It isn't a welcoming album, but it is one that digs its roots into your brain and feasts on your inability to escape its clutches.

Moya, The Girl, All Glory, Flowers in the Forest, The Crypt, Crow
60Silent EM
Foreign States

Shoutout to JohnnyOnTheSpot for introducing me to this band.
Quite a rarity to see a revival act reenact this particular minimalistic, grounded and distanced style of Post-Punk. No gloomy eyeliner-influenced depression, no corny cheekiness. Only pure synth-based simplicity and savvy personality.

The Hunt, Mitos, Foreign States, Beyond the Eye
61Circus Mort
Circus Mort

Before Michael Gira Michaeled them Giras he was in this band. It resembles a regular Post-Punk band with some inclinations towards New Wave, but you can already hear that Swans-ish oddity in the mix. The combination of instruments and the weirdness of songwriting together make this 4-track EP quite an intriguing ride. The songs don't try to be catchy, but they are memorable in their unusual approach.

Swallow You, Watch the Puppet
62Colin Newman
A-Z

Colin Newman with his solo offering set out to explore what he never could with his band Wire. This album is full of strange, sonically and production-wise distorted, tonally obscure and songwritingly weird etudes. It's as if Colin wanted to get all of those different sounds off his chest, just so he could say that he tried them out.

& Jury, But No, B
63Gattopardo
Gattopardo

ESSENTIAL!
There's fun and lightweight ease, and then there's insanity and driving force. This album is not a non-stop party, but it is one of many sides and colours. Its influence pockets are deep, the instrumental and production package is striking, the vocals are as apathetic as they can get, but still bursting out into emotion, when needed. I'd say something about the lyrics, but I don't speak Portugese. It's an unleashed ride with slapping rhythm and infectious atmosphere. Damn straight!

Ultimo metro, Descencanto, Motivos maiores, Meninos perdidos, Cancao contra a inercia, Todas as cores, Eterno embate, Jornada noturna
64DNA
DNA on DNA

For my money, the only decent thing Arto Lindsay put his pretentious hands to. And even then it is highly difficult to listen to. Then again, it is No Wave to the core.

Lionel, Size, New Fast, Grapefruit, Delivering the Good, Nearing, Surrender, Newest Fastest, Detached, Horse, Forgery
65Slow Crush
Ease

Slow Crush will be a little harder to define as a Post-Punk band. They certainly posess the occasional instrumental exuberance necessary for a proper Post-Punk record, but all-in-all it is just a slightly heavier Shoegaze Pop outfit, complete with breathy vocals, echoic production and that warm Spring atmosphere.

Sway, Linger
66Utro (Утро)
Утро

If there is anything modern day reincarnations of older genres and styles can never ever get right, even if they tried to, it's this kind of sound. This crusty, imprefect, vintage sound that was created not on purpose, but for lack of any other. It's an incredibly charming aspect that made Goth music of the past so unique. So it really warms my heart to hear it actually recreated near identically on a 2010 release. Had I not been given the information that this is indeed a recent output, I would have thought it to be much older. Kudos, you grim Ruskies, you've done it!

Дом, Незнакомая Сила, Сейчас Самое Время, Река, Спесь, И Всюду Запах Затухших Свечей
67Buzz Kull
Chroma

Buzz Kull strike with chilling synthesiser-based blasé attitude. Its songs are surprisingly catchy, in spite of their relative simplicity. Song after song, it flows freely and tenderly. You just feel fine listening to it. You just feel great, even though the album itself is somewhat bitter and filled with disillusionment.

We Were Lovers, Dreams, Nausea, Tomorrow's Ghost, Lost Control
68The Au Pairs
Playing With A Different Sex

Au Pairs have achieved a certain cult status with their laid-back, carefree, tranquil approach. This album's fastest moments would be considered the most inconsequentially insouciant on any other album, but here they stick out like they're the swiftest songs around. This album is basically a Post-Punk equivalent of lounge Jazz.

We're So Cool, Come Again
69Twisted Nerve
Séance

ESSENTIAL!
It should come as no surprise that of all the similar, trend-riding acts back then at least a handful will come out as "best". Twisted Nerve might as well be one of them. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, but then again, nobody was mad at -say- Jimmy Eat World for being just like any other Emo band at the time, aye? Everyone just agreed that they're damn fun.

Séance, Yes Man, Freak by Nature, It's All In the Mind
70The Systematics
What We did In The Afternoons

Minimal Wave truly is a strange little quirky beast. It tries so hard to be as far from accessibility and likeability as it can, but ends up just sounding cute. And this album is just like that. And with the modern trend of reissuing old in-oblivion-lost oddities, this did not get omitted, so you can find it on Bandcamp. And it definitely is a unique experience, looking into the world of underground strangeness from back when.

Pulp Baby, Die For My House, International Voltage, Bovine, BBD, Stuh Echipdah, Midnight on Balancing Day, Game of Living
71Arctic Flowers
Reveries

Shoutout to teamster for introducing me to this band.
Taking influences from the more direct, in-your-face and upfront side of the genre and giving it that nice heavy DIY spin. It is no doubt a Post-Punk record, but it just, just balances on the fence with pure Hardcore affair. Not a shady look for a band of this sort and definitely refreshing among the multitude of samey revival bands.

Double Edged, Fall to Pieces, Cri de Coeur, Crusaders+Banshees, Reveries
72Bad Life
The Day You Die

These guys make such a difficult case for themselves. On one hand, this is a near-flawless fusion of Lo-Fi, Post-Punk and some actually functioning Black Metal with surprisingly fitting synths. And as such, each song build and build until it explodes like nothing you've ever heard before. It is a magnetic and ridiculously monolithic record that is definitely worth checking out. On the other hand, the band does a poor job at keeping the flow of the album afloat. The songs build up and the songs become magnificent towards the end... and then it just cuts to another. Such an odd, deliberate waste of potential and destruction of momentum. Why would you do that?

Gown of Flowers, Return to the Earth, The Coming Flood, Death Conversations, Reign
73Liliput
Liliput

In all honesty, Liliput's self-titled album never really did a lot for me. It's an intriguing, but utterly uninteresting oddity that went over my head every time I heard it, but as a part of 46 tracks long compilation it seems as just a mild slow-down. On here, Liliput present all of their musical strength, from their off-kilter instrumentation to their tad hostile, but pleasantly playful songwriting.

Nighttoad, Madness, Ain't You, Nice, You, Die Matrosen, T, Eisiger Wind, In a Mess, A Silver Keay Can Opan an Iron Lock Somewhere, On Streets Without Names
74Glorious Din
Leading Stolen Horses

This album might very well be the easiest way of explaining Post-Punk to a novice. Its skeletal and simplistic structures and musical forms tend to work on repetition, often leading to skinning experience, when you hear the same progression, melody and contextual despondency over and over. There is a sense of darkness, but not a prevailing one. There is an atmosphere of disrupt, but a full and unbroken outlook.

Tenement Roofs, Arrival, Sixth Pillar, Insects
75Tempers
Services

ESSENTIAL!
Does this sound appetising to you? A female-fronted, synth-led Darkwave. It sure as hell sounds intriguing at the very least. And the album actually delivers. Here you'll find a handful of dark, but tuneful and menacing, but gentle tracks with inctredibly catchy hooks and that tangible juicy atmosphere of a tragedy's aftermath. It's a lavish album and deserves some of them spins.

Strange Harvest, Undoing, Summer is Gone, What Isn't There, Trains
76Asylum Party
Borderline

ESSENTIAL!
I think I should warn you beforehand. This album you might find extremely average or downright boring. The ESSENTIAL! sticker above is there purely for my own personal reasons. It's an album flooded with the most typical, unremarkable and stale Post-Punk clichés there are. However, it uses them so freely and to such a fun result that you can't not like it.

Play Alone, First Days of Winter, Pictures
77Fad Gadget
Fireside Favourites

Many bands of this time and this genre dossier delved either into a full-on New Wave or an absolutely mind-bending Electro experimentation. But Fad Gadget decided to combine the off-the-wall production and pulsating instrumentation with some actually catchy hooks and melodies. There's both bass-driven snappiness and electrifying beats, both fun songwriting and unconventional exdcution, both traditional song progression and captivating off-kilter strangeness.

Pedestrian, State of the Nation, Salt Lake City Sunday, The Box, Arch of the Aorta
78Great Ytene
Locus

Shoutout to teamster for introducing me to this band.
This album pays homage to the classics of the genre in its most visceral and natural form, with a slightly dissonant production and a dark instrumentation that is. It's a real treat for anyone, who wants more modern bands to recreate the good old sound more often.

George Street, Cruel Desires, Locus, Wanness, Appetite
79Middle Class
Homeland

ESSENTIAL!
Fans of clattering drums and popping bass, pay attention. The fittingly named Middle Class are a short-lived Post-Punk collective that have all the merit of becoming a cult classic, but none of the attention. Somehow, be it back in the day or now, under-the-radar has always been their credo. I blame the fact that they were an aspiring post-punk band from California, which is hardly an epicenter for the genre. But they are not to blame for their geographical predisposition. They are to be praised for their intricate and infectious music.

A Skeleton At the Feast, Out of My Hands, Listen, Shaken, Mosque, Everything
80Modern Times
Modern Times

That one kind that sounds equally dark and joyous. Can you explain it?

Weltschmerz, Sixteen, Fifty Years
81Gakidou
Pandora no Hako

Fair warning, this EP is produced like a dog's wet fart on a summer day is cherished by dog's owner. It sounds terrible. And there are remastered, renewed versions of it out there somewhere, which sound much nicer and cleaner and really do let that hidden melodic and instrumental beauty of the record pop up with a bigger punch. However, there is some strange distant magic to this old amateurish cheap-ass execution. And again, this is still very well played.

太陽のない街, 呪詛, 狂想曲
82Da Klute
A Lot of Memories

Da Klute is your old regular run-of-the-mill Darkwave band that may have tried a little too hard on their music, considering the fact that their ambitions only spun out one EP and no reception at all. And they tried a little too hard, because this EP just reeks of passion and emotional distress.

Empty Room, The Wanderer
83Negative Image
Confusion

Emotional and surprisingly explosive with a strong sense of torn conscience and self-esteem. It is just one of those hollowing, albeit upbeat types of Goth Rock albums that were prominent at the time. And it is far from the worst example. In fact, it is incredibly fun at times.

The Life We Lead, Not This Way Master, Take Another Drink
84Fews
Means

Modern revivalist movement tends to have a strange obsession with the darker and more downbeat musical worship. It's as if the dreary, yet ambitious sound is what gives them drive and pushes them forward. Fews are by no Means a stadium oriented band, but they display a palette of electrifying strong Goth influences and an embracing collection of straightforward Post-Punk simplicity.

Drinking Games, 100 Goosebumps, If Things Go On Like This
85Violet Town
Violet Town

A messy, poorly sung New Wave cheesiness. What's not to like? In all honesty, though, Violet Town do have a certain merit to them. Their music can sometimes be building and progressing on repeat the way I like, but some of the weaker songwriting bring this down a bit.

Torn Inside, Alice Temple
86This Cold Night
We of Like Minds

What we've got here is the most textbook-typical of the most typical depressed Electro-Goth there is. This Cold Night wear their influences on their sleeves more openly than the scars on their arms. It's like listening to all the genre's clichés in one enormous pile. But it hits all the right notes and even the ridiculously monotone, out-of-place vocals do their job well, considering the atmosphere of the album. It's a strange endeavour, but by no means awful. So get your eyeliners and your copies of Ayn Rand's randition of the Call of Cthulhu ready, cause here comes This Cold Night.

Black Rose, She's Gone (Heteronormative Breakup Song), It's Not OK
87Lost Cherrees
All Part of Growing Up

ESSENTIAL!
This might not be directly Post-Punk, but it is close enough. On this album you'll find a lot of that good old subpar charming production and an energetic instrumental play with slightly quirky, but no less fun female vocals. It's an album of intensity and energy. The band has a good sense of consistency, as an album over 40 minutes of stopage feels like a rapidfire 20 minute EP. It's a dense, punctual and irresistibally fun record you shouldn't skip if you like some of that raunchy old Punk.

Escalation, You're You I'm Me, Poem, Young and Free, The Wait, You Didn't Care, Pleasant Valley Sunday
88Dream Affair
Endless Days

Dream Affair are not just another Joy Division sound-a-like band… well, they are, but they also manage to write poignant and powerful tunes. And just like the previous statement, this following one can be taken both negatively and positively, depending on your sance towards this style: It sounds as if directly taken out of the 80s. Besides, the vocals are not always a deep male whines, they sometimes get exchanged for nice femmale input. It's a good album of throw-back songs, so why not giving it a shot?

Silent Story, Drifting, Apology, Lucid, Parting
89The Flying Lizards
The Flying Lizards

Whatever it is you expect to hear on here, forget it. This is, together eith the occasional earpiercing and shrilling vocals, an interesting enough experimental album. There is either no structure at all, or the one that there si relies on the band's dismissal of order for the sake of just having fun. It's an odd album. Don't expect to love it, but do expect to be entertained.

Her Story, Summertime Blues, Trouble
90Essendon Airport
Palimpsest

With the simplicity and flare of true "artiste" and with a surreal mind of true wild cards, these aussie avant-garde Post-Punkers existed only for as long, but are gaining some local cult following. It's a strange piece that was almost designed to drown in oblivion for eventual classic status obtained decades later. It was my first enounter with odd side of Post-Punk back in the day and I still remember sitting there confused as to what exactly did I just listen to... The album's playful obscurity has a charm like no other.

Re-funkt, Jig, Science of Sound, Entrance of the Gladiators, Happy Ending
91Claude Raines
Claude Raines

In a world where Goth Rock is scarred with the sign of generic and samey aesthetic and songwriting band to band, Claude Raines decided that they won't try to break out of the circle of sameness, and neither will they give in to it. They decided to just do whatever their minds come up with and -unusually so for Goth genre- have fun with it. The result is an easy-going, simple and just fun album.

All of the Days, Stumbling Hard, Looking Around, Going Under
92Aztec Camera
High Land, Hard Rain

I don't like this band. Like, almost at all. That is why their large enough discography will not receive a full entry. But this album stands out as the first and last in the goodness of this wasteful band. It may not be a musical peak, but the band does deliver some sweet poppy tunes that reach from passable to downright infectious. It's an overlong mixed bag, but is still pretty damn fun.

The Boy Wanders, Walk Out to Winter, Lost Outside the Tunnel, Haywire, Set the Killing Fire
93The Major Thinkers
The Major Thinkers

Major Thinkers are not likely to wow much of anyone. Irish band of singer-songwriter Pierce Turner, who also later remade some of the band's songs and incorporated them into his own material, has only released one album and then re-released it again, but with a slightly changed tracklist. To say that it is an outstanding piece of music. That is apart from the satirical cut about how Be Bop could be the perfect president (presumably) Ireland needs.

Tears And Synthesisers, Be Bop for President
94Linea Aspera
Linea Aspera

If you replaced all the greasy basslines and guitarwork on a regular Post-Punk record with synths you'll get this, a lavish, fancy-sounding sorrowful tunes with gentle female vocals. Only be ready for some glitchy sounds and near-cosmic atmosphere.

Synapse, Fer-De-Lance, Lamanai, Reunion
95Fountain
Fountain

Fountain is not exactly a typical revivalist band. They are not another directionless Joy Division rip-off, they are paying strong, faithful and affectionate homage to the old UK style of cocky, snarky, DIY Post-Punk that made waves on ever lower underground scale than what people saw.

Graham Street Landmark, Divide, Oubliette, Refreshment
96Essential Logic
Beat Rhythm News

This is what you get after giving traditional Post-Punk instrumentation and songwriting a certain Psychedelic essence. In spite of how off-the-wall a lot of Post-Punk in times of this album's release had tendecy to be, this record still manages to find a way of being oddball to a surprising extent. It's a refreshing and instrumentally dizzying ventre into your radest and funkiest dreams.

The Order Form, World Friction, Shabby Abbott
97Gerry and the Holograms
Gerry and the Holograms

So this band formed in the 70s, this is their debut album released in 2017. What took them so long to release this is unknown to me, but it is here now. I warn you all, do not -you hear me?- do not, under any circumstances, také this album seriously. Do not go into it expecting a straightforward Electro-Post-Punk musical satisfaction, because this album is a jolly, blobbing, absurd mess of a record that presents us with the idea of a world, in which nothing really relies on one's understanding of the world. It's all for no reason and nothing matters. It's fun for the sake of fun, even though there is no structure. It's silly and non-descript, it's odd and off-beat, it's a perfect record for your oddity-craving mind.

Curiosity Killed the GATH, Fake Moon, Space Invaders
983 Teens Kill 4
No Motive

3 Teens Kill 4 is not your typical band by any standards. It's not a Post_punk band, it's not a New Wave band, it's not an Electronic band. Instead, 3 Teens Kill 4 navigates itself in some kind of dreaded out astral plane inbetween all of those genres and creates its own demented, groteque universe, where expressing you emotions and showing enthusiasm is not welcome.

5/4, Stay and Fight, Circumscript, Hut/Bean Song
99Anwar Sadat
Ersatz Living

ESSENTIAL!
Whan happens when all of Post-Punk's aesthetic, instrumentation and songwriting is applier to a traditionally Industrial Noise-Hardcore production? Well, what happens is one of the most hard-hitting and deranged monstrosities this side of Trent Reznor's coked-up panic attack.

Cauterize, Lower Than Life, No Exit, Quantum Fighter, Todestriebe
100Veil Of Light
Front Teeth

Menacing, upfront, beating electronics, mixed with distorted, disjointed, disinterested vocals. That's the premise of this album. Veil of Light's third output is probably their most realised venture into the territories of odd Industrial branch of Post-Punk. It is dark, technical, but chaotic as well. There is a sense of apathy in it, that threatening sign of hostility and alienation that make it just a notch more intriguing. It's an album of dysrhythmia and disillusionment. No catchiness, no brightness, no hope. Just darkness and accepting the truth of your mundanity.

Your Love, Cut Fingers, Sturm und Drang, Cut Out Your Name, Bridges of God
1011919
Machine

ESSENTIAL!
1919 enjoy clattering, systematic drumlines that are always oh so swell to hear on a Post-Punk record. There is a strong presence of chaos and a menacing atmosphere of dissonance hanging in the air, quite possibly created by the band's primary influence in Anarcho-Punk.

Alien, Machine, The Scream, Control
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