30. Family Fodder “Savoir Faire” (1980)
Say, is that the new Deerhoof single? No, numbnuts, it’s a Family Fodder track from 1980. That’s not to disparage Deerhoof in any way—it’s only meant to stress just how ahead of their time these art-punks were.
29. Young Marble Giants “Credit In The Straight World” (1980)
Young Marble Giants countered punk’s arms race to be bigger, faster and louder by making themselves smaller and quieter, with minimalistic instrumentation and whispered vocals. Think of ‘em as the Stephen Wright of post-punk.
28. The Pop Group “Thief of Fire” (1979)
With their wild bass lines, funk-derived guitar and progressive political messaging, The Pop Group comes off like an earlier, weirder draft of the Minutemen.
27. Television Personalities “Part Time Punks” (1980)
Who says post-punk has to be icy and aloof? This cute, catchy number takes the piss out of bridge-and-tunnel “plastic” punks (or “posers”) for looking the same and taking great effort to be on trend, which would probably be called “gatekeeping” these days.
26. Killing Joke “Change” (1980)
This heavy hitter takes a funk rhythm foundation and gives it the muscular proto-industrial treatment. The ordinarily gloomy Killing Joke almost sound like they’re having a good time here. Almost.
25. Girls At Our Best! “Pleasure” (1981)
Though the first wave post-punk was dominated by brooding, self-important men, Girls At Our Best! brightened things up with cheery gems like “Pleasure.” Female musicians had to be tough back then (not to say everything is perfect now), having to deal with rampant sexism in the underground music scene—you can be sure no one ever told Mark E. Smith he’d be prettier if he smiled more.
24. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry “Hollow Eyes” (1985)
Vocalist Chris Reed delivers the dark goods on this creepy cemetery stomp. And just listen to that bass tone! People would kill to get their bass to sound like that. In fact, right now there’s a lifer doing hard time in Angola because he murdered someone trying in vain to get that tone.
23. The Smiths “Sweet And Tender Hooligan”
The Smiths would primarily be considered jangle pop for lack of a better term, but Andy Rourke’s aggressive bass lines are a constant reminder of their post-punk pedigree, as heard in this ripper. You can pretend that Morrissey passed away in 1989 if it makes it easier for you to enjoy the Smiths again.
22. The Slits “Typical Girls” (1979)
This song from the legendary Slits cycles through rhythms and genres with confident aplomb, sarcastically ticking off stereotypical traits of well-behaved young women (which The Slits decidedly were not).
21. Public Image Ltd. “Annalisa” (1978)
A driving, repetitive track spurred along by Jah Wobble’s hypnotic bass, featuring peak John Lydon doing his signature shouty-singy thing. Following the trajectory of a textbook boomer, Lydon began his career espousing anarchy and wound up an out-of-touch right-wing stooge.