Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

No wave1978

Second genre

Noise rock1983

Head to headNo wave vs Noise rock
No wave: heaviness 6, melody 1, speed 5. Noise rock: heaviness 7, melody 3, speed 6.Heaviness6 / 7Melody1 / 3Speed5 / 6
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Noise rock is what happened when no wave's ideas met people who could play - Sonic Youth are the direct link and formed out of this scene.

Both are shouted, but noise rock is a little slower: 90 to 150 bpm against 100 to 200. Songs run longer in noise rock: usually 3 to 7 minutes, against 1½ to 4 minutes in no wave. To hear the difference, play Teenage Jesus and the Jerks next to Sonic Youth. They share a root in rock, and no wave came first, by five years.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
No wave6
Noise rock7
+1
Speed
No wave5
Noise rock6
+1
Melody
No wave1
Noise rock3
+2

No wave

1978 · New York, USA

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk › No wave

In short

A total refusal of melody and standard tuning. Short-lived, extreme and hugely influential on noise rock.

How it sounds

  • Random or modified tunings, with the guitar used as a percussion object.
  • A refusal of melody, tonal harmony and repeatable structure.
  • Screamed or spoken vocals, dissonant saxophone, primitive drumming.

Key acts

  • Teenage Jesus and the Jerks
  • DNA
  • Swans

Start here

The pickNo New York. Four bands, sixteen tracks, one manifesto.

Full page →

Noise rock

1983 · USA

Where it sits

Rock › Alternative rock › Noise rock

In short

Alternate tunings, feedback as an instrument and rhythm sections that hit like machinery. The grandfather of sludge.

How it sounds

  • Alternate tunings, often invented for a single song.
  • Feedback and harmonics treated as musical material rather than accidents.
  • A heavy, near-mechanical rhythm section with distorted bass up front.

Key acts

  • Sonic Youth
  • Big Black
  • The Jesus Lizard
  • Melvins

Start here

The pickThe Jesus Lizard - Goat. The rhythm section sounds like heavy plant in operation.

Full page →