Look no further than breakout new group Savages to hear the remnants of the first wave of post-punk carried over into the modern day. On their newest record Silence Yourself, Savages mix the classic elements of the greatest bands to come out of the post-punk movement with a modern aesthetic and a David Lynchian preoccupation with abstraction. Squealing guitars, screaming females, and creepy, pre-gothic theatricality are their stock and trade.
They remind me strongly of another band to revive the artier aesthetic of post-punk over a decade ago: the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But where the Yeah Yeah Yeahs strayed into pop even on their earliest recordings, Savages seem to have no intention of doing so. Savages are also not alone; there's a whole scene brewing around this.
Another of the most exciting bands going right now, and one directly inspired by the most famous of the post-punk revolutionaries, Joy Division, is the Danish band Iceage. Hitting Texas in June for Austin's annual Chaos in Tejas festival -- a trip that brought them to Mango's Monday night -- Iceage plays a much harder version of the post-punk sound pioneered by Joy Division, blending in easily with the hardcore bands who pervade a festival like Chaos in Tejas through nothing but sheer, raw intensity. They're not at a loss for songwriting or hooks, but they break the mold with their ferocity, especially on their new record You're Nothing.
As someone who practically lives for this kind of music, it could not be a better time to be a fan. 2013 is the first year in recent memory with a proliferation of this kind of music hitting the Internet and getting the attention it deserves.
Unfortunately, it may be outshined by the massive superstars, but this revolution is at work once again in the underground. If they manage to keep their clear volatility under control, it's safe to say bands like Iceage and Savages will have long careers ahead of them, and it's safe to say this sound is here to stay again.
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