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The Wake, "Harmony & Singles"
In an act of altruism, LTM Records has begun to remaster and reissueThe Wake's albums, starting with this early record, a smattering ofearly singles and a peel session.
It's easy to dismiss The Wake, tooeasy. At a cursory listen one might be tempted to shrug them off as aJoy Division clone (of which they've been accused), or as a pop-likehybrid of Joy Division and the Cure. But like I said, that's too easy.The Wake may share similarities with these bands, especially since theysigned to Factory Records and therefore were label mates with JoyDivision, Section 25, and Cabaret Voltaire. But infusing all of thetracks on "Harmony & Singles" is a jangly post-punk, almostsynthpop, sensibility that the other bands, thanks to their emergencein the midst of first-wave punk, lack. While some of the lyrics mayfall a little flat, such as laments against god ("a fear of god / thegod of love") in "Judas" there are plenty of more powerful moments thatallow you to overlook these small missteps, such as the immediate punchof "Testament", whose strong bass line and catchy riff will getanyone's, even the most forlorn cooler-than-thou goth's, head bopping.Then, there are times, such as in "Patrol" or "Something Outside" thatthe synth elements may dominate and yet still keep those beguilingbeats and melodies fresh and fun enough to make you smile. And that'swhat separates The Wake from their more famous label mates: infectioussongs that are anything but oppressive, songs that strip away themelancholy, songs that border on love songs, to create strong post-punkpop. One of the best forgotten bands of the 80s, and we're lucky tohave them back. More reissues are on the way.
It's easy to dismiss The Wake, tooeasy. At a cursory listen one might be tempted to shrug them off as aJoy Division clone (of which they've been accused), or as a pop-likehybrid of Joy Division and the Cure. But like I said, that's too easy.The Wake may share similarities with these bands, especially since theysigned to Factory Records and therefore were label mates with JoyDivision, Section 25, and Cabaret Voltaire. But infusing all of thetracks on "Harmony & Singles" is a jangly post-punk, almostsynthpop, sensibility that the other bands, thanks to their emergencein the midst of first-wave punk, lack. While some of the lyrics mayfall a little flat, such as laments against god ("a fear of god / thegod of love") in "Judas" there are plenty of more powerful moments thatallow you to overlook these small missteps, such as the immediate punchof "Testament", whose strong bass line and catchy riff will getanyone's, even the most forlorn cooler-than-thou goth's, head bopping.Then, there are times, such as in "Patrol" or "Something Outside" thatthe synth elements may dominate and yet still keep those beguilingbeats and melodies fresh and fun enough to make you smile. And that'swhat separates The Wake from their more famous label mates: infectioussongs that are anything but oppressive, songs that strip away themelancholy, songs that border on love songs, to create strong post-punkpop. One of the best forgotten bands of the 80s, and we're lucky tohave them back. More reissues are on the way.
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