Review of Bustin' Out (New Wave To New Beat: The Post Punk Era 1979-1981) Album by Various Artists
The time period may be just slightly before my time, but that doesn't mean that I'm not into it. The post punk period was an experimental music movement which pushed out punk. The Bustin' Out collection celebrates this.
Hitting it off with a bit of a Gary Numan/Tubeway Army, Bustin' Out gets off to a great start. Moving into tracks such as a Lizzy Mercier Descloux post punk version of Arthur Brown's 'Fire', there is a sharp edge to this compilation you don't get from the modern day pop we are becoming accustomed to. This is music that makes a statement and has a bit of attitude to it.
Saying this, the attitude does start to wear thin by the eighth track, a point where you start to recall the time period yourself for bands you would have selected instead. Overall though, a good cross section of an important shift in musical style.
As good as it is to see new styles come into music, and artists experiment with styles, you can't deny where they have come from, or dismiss the past. Listening through this entire album, you can sense where bands of more recent times gained some of their musical influence. The post punk revival may have been mire commercially accepted, but its roots
Whether it's reminiscing about your era, enjoying a bit of post punk, or a lesson in music history you want. you will find it here. Said to be the first in a collection of compilations, these will be perfect for showing just how many influential periods there have been.
Laura Johnstone
