No New York

Released

Before there was noise-rock, there was no wave. This compilation, recorded by Brian Eno in 1978, features four tracks each by four bands: the Contortions, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, Mars, and DNA. Each one does something different, but they all fit together as a shrieking ball of live-wire intensity. The Contortions deliver a jagged punk funk (their cover of James Brown’s “I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)” is breathtaking); Teenage Jesus & the Jerks are the sound of the world’s angriest teenage girl and her friends stabbing you with broken bottles; Mars created improvised-sounding chaos with wordless vocals and deliberately untrained instrumental approaches, making it seem like they were forever on the brink of coming up with a song but never quite getting there; and DNA’s best qualities were Ikue Mori’s primitive drumming and Arto Lindsay’s barbed-wire, detuned guitar.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
Go In Numbers cover

Go In Numbers

Wadada Leo Smith, New Dalta Ahkri
Present cover

Present

Van der Graaf Generator
Amassed cover

Amassed

Spring Heel Jack
North Head cover

North Head

Lovely Midget
Idiom cover

Idiom

Anna Webber
2 Days In April cover

2 Days In April

Hamid Drake, Fred Anderson, "Kidd" Jordan, William Parker