Killing Joke were formed in 1978 to, as Jaz Coleman put it, "define the exquisite beauty of the atomic age in terms of style, sound and form." Originally playing a type of dub inflected punk (as heard on the Turn to Red EP), as time passed their sound became more rhythmically industrial and then pop-infused. "Killing Joke" was a caustic punk skank, while 1981's "What's THIS For..." and 1982's "Revelations" showed the industrial elements of the band coming through. Through this all, "Big" Paul Ferguson's drums held the outfit together with his strong, almost tribal rhythms and Martin "Youth" Glover's basslines were jumpy reggae funk underneath the shimmering metal riffs.
With the apocalypse not having happened, the band returned from Iceland to record "Fire Dances" in 1983. A largely underrated album but still a definite Joke classic from this period. 1985's "Night Time" brought the band popular acclaim with a more pop and synth infused sound that brought singles "Love Like Blood" and "Eighties". While the sound was more pop, the lyrics were still fiercely intelligent chunks of cold war paranoia.
Downloads:
No comments:
Post a Comment