Word: punk
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...three-star review of Echoes in Rolling Stone was over-simplistic and wrong in many ways. First, it grouped the Rapture with the Liars and !!! as New York “art-damaged punk-disco bands,” failing to recognize the vast difference in the bands’ approaches, and that !!! are in fact from Sacramento. Then reviewer Rob Sheffield alluded to common comparisons between the recent dance-punk bands and late-80s British acid-house, and then declared that “the Happy Mondays sucked.” And then there was the four-star review...
...apparently Rolling Stone feels otherwise, and it’s for shame. The dance-punk movement is in full swing, proving that the kids not only can but also want to dance—and the teeming anticipation for full-lengths from !!! and Liars further demonstrates the excitement and buzz for the new school. But none of the bands in this coterie have the range and accessibility that the Rapture flaunt so brilliantly to the masses on Echoes. Other bands might crank out a more memorable anthem than “House of Jealous Lovers?...
...Rapture are indeed from New York City, and certainly fit the punk-disco moniker, but the catchiness of the songs, the scope of emotions, and the depth and texture in their compositions place them firmly at the forefront of this so-called movement. The Rapture have not only the songwriting chops but also the skills and means to make good of them...
...When punk-rock legend Joe Strummer died of a heart attack last December at the age of 50, the music world let out a collective cry. Streetcore, Strummer’s unfinished finale, was left to his band the Mescaleros to piece together. Although the album does not match the classic songwriting he displayed with Mick Jones over twenty years ago on The Clash and London Calling, Streetcore is an enjoyable tribute to Strummer’s unforgettable career, passionate and rough around the edges...
While Strummer seems to have mellowed since punk’s heyday, Streetcore remains, at heart, not all that different from anything The Clash released. He continues to struggle with themes of social responsibility and equality. And the combination of folk, reggae and punk that permeates the album can be traced all the way back to “Police and Thieves...