How to Take a Crash Course in British Post-Punk

In a previous How-to, I mentioned a number of British post-punk (or "indie) bands, alluding to how indebted modern British and American "indie" (an almost meaningless word that I'll try to avoid) bands are to them. Here's a primer course in a period of music that's being plundered mercilessly.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Seek out "Unknown Pleasures" by Joy Division. You'd be hard pressed to find a bigger touchstone for a lot of today's popular rock music (this is excluding band's like Nickleback and Hinder, obviously). Tight, dry drums, ragged but rousing guitar, basslines leading the songs, and the alienated baritone of Ian Curtis (see The National for proof of the statement above) made a lasting mark on the history of rock music. Joy Division was a band inspired by the urgency and do-it-yourself spirit of punk that took the sound in a different direction. Post-punk begins in earnest here.

2. Listen to Gang of Four's "Entertainment," another sacred text of the era. Sharing some ideas with Joy Division, Gang of Four took an inflammatory, righteous stance, using the songs on the album to show how consumerism and commodification were turning every aspect of life into a product to be bought and sold, even (and especially) sex.

3. Discover one of the most criminally underrated groups of the era (at least in America), Liverpool's Echo and the Bunnymen. Their sound recalled 60's psychedelia but was unmistakably post-punk and new wave, with beautiful, crystalline guitars that never overpowered the rhythm section or singer Ian McColluch's great voice. Their albums are good but inconsistent on the whole; for an introduction, get "Songs to Learn and Sing," the group's best-of.

4. Appreciate one of the most important post-punk bands ever, and one of the best groups of the 80's: The Smiths. Famous as much for their intellectual-sad-sack-loner image as for their music, the Smiths were much more than that. A truly British rock and roll band they succeeded in sounding like nothing else, and communicated with an intelligence almost unheard of in the medium. It's no wonder that each year, a new batch of adolescents hears Morrissey's words and thinks that they're directed at them alone. Both their singles compilation "Singles" and their album "The Queen is Dead" are essential.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep in mind that this is an overview. There's a lot of worthy post-punk music out there, and digging around will be rewarded. For more, see "This is Uncool" and "Fear of Music," 2 books by Garry Mulholland chronicling pop music since punk and disco in singles and albums, respectively. Many post-punk gems can be found within.