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 by Lexicon Magazine

Popular Artists from New Wave Era

Several artists have performed in the new wave era and more are expected to join. Various bands have also been performing since the inception of new wave era.

Duran Duran

This is an English band that was formed in the year 1978 – almost 8 years since new wave came into being. The band developed from alternate sensations in the year 1982 to conventional pop stars within the following two years. Within the period of a decade, the band underwent an array of challenges more so in music styles and membership. However, in spite of the said challenges, the band was able to stage a resurgence during the early ‘90s. The band was the best in Second British Invasion of the United States. It is said that the band has had over 13 singles among the best 10 UK Singles Chart. Moreover, the group has also had over 20 singles placed in the Billboard Hot 100. Duran Duran is in record of selling over 100 million records across the world.

The emergence of Duran Duran was seen to be synonymous with New Romantic scene along with other luminary bands which included Spandau Ballet. However, this image was later shed off and the band came up with a better, elegant, and sophisticated appearance through the use of marketing and fusion. The band is on record for having won a number of accolades throughout the time they have been performing. The awards include Brit Awards (2 of them), MTV video music award, and Grammy awards (2).

The band is so remarkable that the Hollywood Walk of Fame featured them.

When the video age came into being, the band was catapulted into main productions in MTV music channel. This was a remarkable achievement since the channel is a 24-hour music channel. Most of the videos done by the band were done through the use of 35 mm film. This enabled them to have a better outlook as compared to what other band were doing at the time.Duran Duran worked with other professional directors of the film industry so to improve on quality. The band is credited for being part of the early bands that used video technology during their live shows in stadiums.

The Human League

This band was formed in the year 1977 in Sheffield. The band released two instant albums after they were signed into Virgin Records in the year 1979. This was accompanied by an array of singles before the band shot to fame through the third album that they released in the year 1981 – Dare. Some of the singles that the album had included Open your heart, Love action (I believe in Love), and don’t you want me. In the year 1982, the band was awarded Brit Award which is given as a result of Best British Breakthrough Act. The band further produced other hits from 1980s to 1990s. Some of the hits included Fascination, tell me when, mirror man, and being boiled among others.

There has been a single member who has remained royal and constant in spite of the changing times. This is none other than the songwriter and vocalist Oakey Philip.

Ian Marsh Craig and Ware Martyn both left the human league in the year 1980 so that they could form their own – Heaven 17. Since Oakey took over the leadership of the band, it has evolved into a successful commercial league with new members such as Ann Susan Sulley and Catherall Joanne. The band has essentially been made up of three members since the 1990s.

It is worth noting that the band has release over 8 studio albums, over 30 singles, four EPS, and a host of other compilation albums. The United Kingdom’s top 10 has had 8 singles and 5 albums from the human league. The band is said to have sold close to over 20 million copies – a record that has not been achieved by such a small band.

Although the three members have been discussing about their retirement, no one seems to know when they will exit the scene.

Oakey, Catherall, and Sulley have said time and again that they enjoy performing together. They intend to hold together for longer than expected. Sulley even says that she does not know what to do besides doing music.

[The Human League]

They expect to continue being part of great live shows so long as their fans are happy to see them.

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 by Lexicon Magazine

New Wave Music: Once A Rock Music Genre

Many people who were born in the 1970s can relate well with the new wave music genre. It was a real sensation and any concert that played new wave music songs attracted large crowds

“New wave was believed to follow punk rock.”

If a musician wanted to have an emphatic crowd in those years, he or she would definitely need to have some knowhow of new wave music. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw new wave have a new term for the music that was produced by then. New wave was believed to follow punk rock since the new wave genre disguised itself as punk rock. In retrospect, it was clear that the music which followed punk could be divided into two large categories which were named new wave and post-punk.

Post punk genre of music was difficult, arty, and thought-provoking whereas new wave was simple, pure, and pop music.

New wave remained with the fresh stamina of punk music in addition to having fascinating artistic moves, style, and electronics. It is therefore evident that new wave had a lot of diversity to itself and it pulled many people to watch and enjoys.

The very act of having new wave as part of the rock and roll genre made it possible for various other artists to compose songs with a lot of ease.

Rock Pile and Graham Parker were some of the synth rockers as well as Elvis Costello. Other rock bands who preferred new wave genre to be sand as rock music were Squeeze, the Police (who were lovers of pop reggae), the Pretenders (whose main interest was rock and roll), and Madness and Specials. Even though these bands were automatically famous, there were other hits that emerged in the early days of new wave. These groups were mainly credited with producing one-hit songs and they were loved for their diversity. They shared a love of amalgamated production, pop hooks, and an allure of being at the center of attraction.

“It is a definitive genre that came with such huge fame.”

New wave is different from other music movements since it has an array of characteristics that look similar to pop music – a trait that endears it to many people. New wave music is an incorporation of the ancient rock and roll music as well as the ethos that were used in production of rock music.

It is a definitive genre that came with such huge fame and the ability to attract large crowds whenever it was played. Be that as it may, it is note that the healthy relationship between new wave and other genres of music began to become blurry. This was not about to reduce the impact that new wave had as compared to other genres. In the 1990s, new wave began to realize a new level of resurgence after new artists arose who preferred to sing through the use of new wave.

It is said that the term new wave was used by Charles Shaar Murray when he commented about the Boomtown rats. It is also believed that new was the genre that replaced punk. In spite of this developments, new wave and punk were terms that were used in place of each other and no one ever thought that the world of music would survive without the two genres.

John Foxx observed that New York Dolls were the main galvanizers of the scene since they arrived. He further asserts that they proved that galvanizing the musical scene was a possible occurrence since they erased every person who was deemed to be desperate.

[John Foxx]

In the year 1976, a music historian named Vernon Joynson observed that many bands dissociated themselves from punk as new wave genre was entering the scene. From that time onwards, any music that was deemed to be following the garage band, it was named punk while the music that seemed to be largely complex, experimental, and polished in production was named new wave music. Hilly Kristal who owned CBGB is believed to have pioneered new wave in the Television band. Moreover, any other artist who was earlier termed as punk was now being referred to as a new wave artist.

New wave has since gone under intense evolution and it is believed that this will go on. The current generation seems to love rock music but new wave genre is not utterly dead.

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 by Lexicon Magazine

History of New Wave Music: Then and Now

New wave music is a well-known category of rock music. It was mainly popular in the 1970s to the early 1980s. The genre was tied to the punk rock music of the 1970s

A remarkable difference of new wave music is that it moved away from the conventional rock and roll rhythms and blues to come up with pop music. The newly developed pop music was an incorporation of experimental music, electronic, disco and mod. New wave was seen to have close ties with punk rock but it later changed and became a standalone distinct genre. As a result of becoming a distinct genre, new wave music engendered fusions and subgenres which included gothic rock, college rock, and synthpop.

“New wave is different from other genres that are tied to the first-wave punk.”

New wave is different from other genres that are tied to the first-wave punk. New wave music has similar characteristics to pop music even though it has maintained the original ethos of punk rock sound. It however displays characteristics that are complex both in lyrics and music. New wave has common characteristics with other genres such as diversity, electronic productions, making use of synthesizers, and significance of styling among others. New wave is certainly a definitive genre of the early 1980s. The genre has enjoyed a huge following from all walks of life and it has continued to evolve more in the contemporary ages so as to benefit even more people. If you do not love the genre today, it will evolve in a way that you will love tomorrow. New wave artists are believed to be so attached to their music that they do not even think of setting up a band. New wave music is said to have borrowed its names from the French New Wave cinema that was shown in the 1950s.

There were many styles that new wave music worked with. Most of the styles were a major sense of humor and insouciance.

The broad spectrum of new wave music was part of the larger B-52 in the United States and was also incorporated in an upcoming music prospect in Athens, Georgia. The B-52 had a dance group that mixed vocal testing like the one of Yoko Ono and harmonies from the girl group. Other harmonies included were the vocals of Deborah Harry, Modern Lovers and Jonathan Richman tunes, and the talking heads and Devo’s avant-grades.

“It was agreed that punk be replaced by new wave.”

New wave catch-all nature has been a major source of controversy and confusion. It had originally been produced under the name punk in the United States. Since the new was seen as delivering little to no sales at all, it was agreed that punk be replaced by new wave. New wave music was however absorbed in the United Kingdom than it was absorbed in the United States. Punk began as a major phenomenon in London as compared to its reception in the United States. Punk was of little or no influence in the United States when it started gaining mileage. It was just a common theme in most of the rock clubs and various discos. After punk paved way for new wave music, the genre was considered as a major cultural event in Britain as well as London.

In order to make it more famous and acceptable across the world, the British music press pioneered a campaign that would see to it that New wave music was promoted. Some of the post-punk acts included the eclipsing of Elastica by Britpop. Moreover, there was Metric, Brainiac, No Doubt, and Six Finger Satellite. In the 1990 decade, trance and Euro disco dance were mainly influenced by some European and British new wave acts which were relatively heavy dance sounds.

In the 2000 decade, there were several acts that emerged which dwelt more on diversity of new wave as well as post-punk mechanisms. Some of the acts of the millennium decade included Interpol, the Bravery, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the Strokes. Strokes have won several accolades and nominations as well and they have continued to produce new songs which are adored by their fans. Strokes won the ASCAP College Vanguard Award.

During the presentation of the award, Strokes were hailed for their debut album, Is This It, after it achieved critical and substantial acclaim in the world over and the U.S. ASCAP said it was proud of the songwriting prowess displayed by the young group.

[ASCAP Award]

New wave genre has thus grown in strides and will evolve even more in the coming days.

in Lexicon Magazine / New Wave History / Then & Now 0 comments