Help Make a Mix: Odd New-Wave "Sophisticated" Pop/Rock

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Help me exhume and mentally categorize a narrow stripe of “new-wave” or something similar: weirdo (as opposed to normal), sophisticated (as opposed to slashy new-wave pop), pop/rock bands (as opposed to trackier or dancier acts or synthy acts). Examples, maybe: The Red Krayola on Kangaroo? (especially “The Old Man’s Dream”); 10,000 Maniacs when they were most interesting (“Planned Obsolescence”); the Family Fodder (“Savoir Faire”); surely some good more pop-oriented stuff on Ze? Some moment when pop bands were spacious and oddbally (and dubby?) and got somewhat voracious about the rhythms and instrumentation of the rest of the world. Only not Talking Heads, exactly. Particularly interested in things with the heavily-organic sound of that Red Krayola period.

(apologies if this is a dumb question)

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe something by Tuxedomoon?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:23 (twenty-one years ago)

There must also be Waitresses stuff that fits this bill.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Joe Jackson?

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

How about Romeo Void - Never Say Never?

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Sparks? Pylon?

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:33 (twenty-one years ago)

beware: you are heading towards REM at dangerous velocity

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

or Hugo Largo

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

No, no REM! Arf, maybe my whole mental construction of this as a subgenre or type is just … I dunno, personal. There tend to be horns involved, lemme add that. But soft horns, not punchy funk horns. And not new-wave sneery like “Never Say Never” but more smug and weirdy like that Red Krayola. I’m listening to the Ze Records Christmas thing right now and certain tracks (including the Waitresses, yes!) edge close to pegging it but not quite, not entirely. Am I just crazy? Where’s D.W0lk?

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:41 (twenty-one years ago)

umm like "head over heels" by tears for fears? or the whole 2nd sife of that record?

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Wall of Voodoo?

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:43 (twenty-one years ago)

hey i just picked up that family fodder best of for 4$ used! there are some mellow Homosexuals songs that kinda fit this bill, also. possibly a few of L Voag's tunes, too.

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

aha: Fun Boy Three.

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:48 (twenty-one years ago)

(Oo, thanks for the Hugo Largo tip, Stencil: haven’t heard this before. I see why you’d recommend, Red Krayola-wise—it’s terrific.)

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:48 (twenty-one years ago)

oh that was more of a dis, actually.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, I see: convenient dis, anyway, cause I'm listening to samples and kinda digging them.

Other ways of narrowing down the kind of thing I'm talking about: almost always has super-twiddly bass that is “funky” without actively attaining any kind of body-moving groove; has serious tendency to sound harmonically west African (in the sunny, spacious way).

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Aha, I think I get it now. Hence David Byrne/Talking Heads, but that's been expressly excluded of course.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:05 (twenty-one years ago)

non-hit stuff off Combat Rock
The Police
Paul Simon's Graceland

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:05 (twenty-one years ago)

STOP THAT GIRL - subway sect

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

(possibly not weird enough)

― artdamages (artdamages), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Circling in! You are all of you awesome. Part of why I started this thread was that I immediately thought of certain Police tracks and Graceland, but I was convinced that I was just unaware of some less shiny, artier currents of the same kind of vibe sitting between post-punk and the mid-80s; the tracks named up top seemed to confirm this, but then I got stuck. I may be guilty here of imagining that surely someone I know nothing about did more of this sort of thing; I think I tend to imagine that everything exists and I just haven’t heard of any of it.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Seemed like for a time every band in England had a sort of summery Ju Ju vibe to them. Even Bananarama n shit like that.

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

and Haircut 100 too!

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Parts of Malcolm McLaren's _Duck Rock_ may be what you're looking for, especially "Double Dutch," which is practically mbaqanga. See also Bow Wow Wow's "Go Wild in the Country," and, in a different way, Lora Logic's "Martian Man."

On the artier front: bits of the Flying Lizards' s/t album and _Fourth Wall_--I'm thinking especially of "Her Story" on the first one.

Pere Ubu ca. "Misery Goats"?

― Douglas (Douglas), Thursday, 30 December 2004 23:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Gary Wilson, the Mo-Dettes, Vivien Goldman, early Scritti Politti, Polyrock, Sparks, ...don't know if any of these are what you're getting at.

― babyalive (babyalive), Friday, 31 December 2004 00:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Not sure if I understand what you are after yet, but what about something from the Raincoats' Moving album, or Return of the Giant Slits?

― todd (todd), Friday, 31 December 2004 01:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't even remember what Hugo Largo sounded like, to be honest.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 31 December 2004 02:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Dif Juz might float your boat- it's dubby, big basslines, yet it shimmers 4ADishly too. I assume you already know Mini-Pops, A Certain Ratio, and Section 25 . . .

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Friday, 31 December 2004 02:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know Red Krayola, but for sophisticated new-wave with horns, I'd think you can't go wrong with Style Council's "My Ever-Changing Moods" and Blow Monkeys' "Digging Your Scene." Off the track?

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 31 December 2004 06:54 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm surprised that it's taken this long for anyone to recommend japan. so lemme be the one to do so ... unless i am totally misunderstanding what nabisco is asking for.

in the same vein ... anything off of gary numan's telekon, dance and i, assassin.

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 31 December 2004 07:05 (twenty-one years ago)

and BLANCMANGE

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Friday, 31 December 2004 07:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Electrelane!!!

― dog latin (dog latin), Friday, 31 December 2004 08:11 (twenty-one years ago)

monochrome set

― bulbs (bulbs), Friday, 31 December 2004 09:15 (twenty-one years ago)

When people mention Dif Juz, it makes my day.

― Bimble..., Friday, 31 December 2004 09:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Cristina (in regard to Ze-type music)?

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Friday, 31 December 2004 12:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Or perhaps The Teardrop Explodes?

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Friday, 31 December 2004 12:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Red Box?

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 31 December 2004 12:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid Creole & the Coconuts? They've got sophistication (and horn charts) to spare but lack the requisite stiff new-wave rhythms.

― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Friday, 31 December 2004 12:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Rip, Rig and Panic?

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 31 December 2004 12:37 (twenty-one years ago)

there's all sorts of stuff you might like on the second disc of palatine, the factory box set: kalima, quando quango, things like that. personally i can't stand most of it, but hey.

but there's also marcel king: reach for love, which is exquisite, and proves that such music can be made with flair, sophistication and genius.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 31 December 2004 12:39 (twenty-one years ago)

snapper 'gentle hour'
cloudgirl 'schoolboy'

― keith m (keithmcl), Friday, 31 December 2004 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Aztec Camera seem to fit what you're looking for really well. Not really synthy, but sophisticated new wave pop. I don't know Red Krayola, but AC's sound could be described as "organic".

Try "Oblivious" or "Walk Out to Winter".

― whenuweremine (whenuweremine), Friday, 31 December 2004 19:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Aztec Camera, Style Council and Monochrome Set are good calls.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 31 December 2004 22:42 (twenty-one years ago)

tin huey. and maybe pigbag. and maybe even a fabulous poodles track or two.

― chuck, Friday, 31 December 2004 22:49 (twenty-one years ago)

god thats the first i've heard of tin huey for decades,
"contents disloged during shipment" or something like that was a great album

― Tim Dixon, Monday, 3 January 2005 01:04 (twenty-one years ago)

three weeks pass...

Undercover, a terrific covers compilation from Ze Records, brings me one tiny step closer to getting this very-subjective mix underway: Kid Creole and the Coconuts' "Lili Marlene." I am making this thing a mission, and may continue to bump as items suggest themselves.

― nabisco (nabisco), Monday, 24 January 2005 19:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I.A.O. - "All is Bliss"
Ian McNabb - "I'm Game"
Noctorum - "High as a Kite"
Sad Lovers & Giants - "German Cars"

― echoinggrove (echoinggrove), Monday, 24 January 2005 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

What about the 1st Arto Lindsay/Ambitious Lovers album? "Let's Be Adult" is a great, great song.

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Monday, 24 January 2005 19:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe Anna Domino too?

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Monday, 24 January 2005 19:42 (twenty-one years ago)

erm, never mind. you're after a different sort of "sophisticated" NW sound. good songs, but not what you want.

― echoinggrove (echoinggrove), Monday, 24 January 2005 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

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