ā€™77: The Year Of Punk & New Wave
Henrik Bech Poulsen
(Helter Skelter Publishing)
382 pages

There are a plethora of books available about the punk movement, but ā€™77 manages to find a unique perspective on the phenomenon by focusing almost exclusively on the year of 1977. It begins by setting the scene and documenting the musical revolution that occurred when those two sevens clashed, and also features several pages worth of quotes from original 1977 punks about the cause that they were a part of. But the bulk of the book, and its raison dā€™etre, is a comprehensive, heavily illustrated list of every punk or new wave group from the UK and Ireland that released a record during the titular year. (And the meticulous scope is clearly defined ā€“ for example, although Siouxsie And The Banshees were active in 1977, they donā€™t get an entry, because they didnā€™t release a record that year.)

Each artist gets their own entry with a biography (ranging up to several pages for the better known groups) and discography focusing purely on 1977, with potted details about subsequent years/releases. As such, this is a goldmine for record collectors and trainspotters ā€“ but the wealth of background details revealed make it interesting even for those who donā€™t need to know, for instance, that 999ā€™s Nasty Nasty 7ā€¯ was released in three different versions (black vinyl, green vinyl and a gimmick promo spinning at 78rpm, if you were wondering). Admittedly, Poulsenā€™s style is often clumsy (this is his first book) but his obvious enthusiasm for the subject is both endearing and contagious.

Owen Heitmann

Street Drum Corps is a trio of percussionists who explore rhythms and beats using a variety of instruments, from traditional drum kits through to kitchenware. Body Sounds 101 is even, as the name suggests, comprised entirely of percussion generated by the human body.

While the pursuit of rhythm makes for a kinetic live show, on a record percussive beats alone for extended periods can be less than compelling for a wider audience, and so most tracks here feature outside embellishments. Rabbit is augmented with synth noise atop the beats, while Wrecks is completed by wordless vocals, a melody and scratches by album producer DJ Lethal. Even with this added sonic depth, however, the Corps still keep things brief and to the point: the album clocks in at only 23 minutes, with eight tracks (two of which are less than 30 seconds long).

The final two tracks, Flaco 81 and BANG!!, are actually the most purely percussion-based tracks on offer, and itā€™s worth noting that ultimately the former is the most interesting cut on the record (the latter is overlong).

While this self-titled album is an interesting experiment, the resulting soundscapes (perhaps inevitably) have less substance than the output of the groupā€™s many high-profile previous collaborators (such as Bert McCracken of The Used) and Iā€™m sure that it is as an added guest percussion section to existing bands that the trioā€™s future will be strongest.

Owen Heitmann