No New York

Released

Before there was noise-rock, there was no wave. This compilation, recorded by Brian Eno in 1978, features four tracks each by four bands: the Contortions, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, Mars, and DNA. Each one does something different, but they all fit together as a shrieking ball of live-wire intensity. The Contortions deliver a jagged punk funk (their cover of James Brown’s “I Can’t Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)” is breathtaking); Teenage Jesus & the Jerks are the sound of the world’s angriest teenage girl and her friends stabbing you with broken bottles; Mars created improvised-sounding chaos with wordless vocals and deliberately untrained instrumental approaches, making it seem like they were forever on the brink of coming up with a song but never quite getting there; and DNA’s best qualities were Ikue Mori’s primitive drumming and Arto Lindsay’s barbed-wire, detuned guitar.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
The Lost Chords cover

The Lost Chords

Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow, Billy Drummond
Roxy Music cover

Roxy Music

Roxy Music
Monk’s Dream cover

Monk’s Dream

Roswell Rudd, Steve Lacy
Illusionary Sea cover

Illusionary Sea

Mary Halvorson Septet
Chimaera cover

Chimaera

Emmeluth's Amoeba
Halo cover

Halo

Bill Laswell, Andy Hawkins, Azonic
War Prayers cover

War Prayers

Young People