You Are My Nightmare And I’ll Never Wake Up



The Comateens “Nightmares” – I once played this song for someone who just naturally assumed it was by one of the new wave/post-punk revival bands who were all the rage in 2002/03. After learning it was from 1981, it seemed to make all the difference. It possesses all the elements both revivals were striving for (the cheap drum machine beat, the rubbery bassline, and the uncomplicated primitive synthesizer sound), but it was created out of enthusiasm for things new and not tailored to adhere to guidelines which are now well laid out. It’s a shame the Comateens couldn’t hold it together past the mid-’80s, and a greater shame still that Nik North passed on before he could cash in on the sound his band helped invent.

Urban Verbs “Subways” – There’s a grand tradition of nepotism in rock. Urban Verbs may have caught the ear of Warner Bros. in 1980 because their frontman Roddy Frantz was the brother of Talking Head Chris Frantz, but that’s where most of the similarities end. The band was more focused on creating sweeping, anthemic new wave soundscapes than they were dipping their toes into the avant garde. Ultimately, a lot of their output was entirely forgettable, but “Subways” is the kind of song which should be remembered alongside “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” and “Telecommunication” as milestones of new wave. (Wounded Bird reissued their first album on cd last year)