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

Post-punk1978

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

The difference, by ear

Post-punk kept the song and no wave did not. They are contemporaneous, share a city and a scene, and differ on whether a chorus is worth having.

Post-punk is sung cleanly where no wave is shouted, and keeps to a narrower band: 110 to 150 bpm against 100 to 200. Songs run longer in post-punk: usually 3 to 6 minutes, against 1½ to 4 minutes in no wave. To hear the difference, play Teenage Jesus and the Jerks next to Joy Division. No wave grew out of post-punk.

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

In figures

Heaviness
No wave6
Post-punk3
−3
Speed
No wave5
Post-punk5
level
Melody
No wave1
Post-punk6
+5

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 →

Post-punk

1978 · United Kingdom · 7 subgenres

Where it sits

Rock › Punk rock › Post-punk

In short

Punk asking what comes next: melodic bass up front, dry guitar, space and cold. Possibly the most fertile branch in all of rock.

How it sounds

  • The bass carries the melody; the guitar plays short, dry figures with chorus or flanger.
  • Dry-toned drums with plenty of space in the mix - you can hear the room.
  • Irregular structures, cold dynamics, abstract or political lyrics.

Key acts

  • Joy Division
  • Wire
  • Gang of Four
  • Public Image Ltd

Start here

The pickJoy Division - Unknown Pleasures. Martin Hannett's production is half the record.

Full page →