Tuesday 27 July 2010

Bubblegum Ponk


Am I allowed to coin the term "ponk" for "pop-punk"? If so, then I never get tired of ponk - there seems to be something about the treble-heavy guitar-laden sound which is instantly appealing and manages to (without waxing over-lyrical) reach something which far more elaborate or inventive songs cannot.

The Ramones - of course the godfathers of ponk. Posted below is perhaps the apotheosis of the ponk form. "Slug" is the archetype for ponk. Like Plato's ideal form, other bands can only hope to achieve a copy of a copy. I defy you to listen to this and not think of the balmy, love-struck summer evenings of youth.

Ramones - Slug (demo)

Of course the Exploding Hearts - it is now seven years since three of the band were killed in a road accident in July 2003. I know someone who is even more of a smart-ass than myself once commented that death is the best possible career move; the tantalising early promise is solidified into something more concrete and the remaining output just a hint at what might have been (see also - John Keats, Thomas Chatterton, Franz Schubert). The mystique is firmly embedded in the music - but the Hearts are perhaps the band who need it the least. The less said about the one remaining member's post-Hearts activities the better.

The Exploding Hearts - Rumours in Town


(All via Mediafire - sorry!)

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