Overlooked Post-Punk Albums You Need to Hear! 

Cabaret Voltaire's 2x45 is excellent.

Oh and with Pere Ubu whom i just love, i have their 5CD box called "Datapanik In The Year Zero" which i found a coupla years ago & has their early stuff... fascinating band & of course Gang of Four...

The Micro Phonies album is so awesome. Very underrated. Do right is a great track.

I've rarely clicked on a video and clicked "like" so quickly. You can *never* do enough videos on postpunk for me! I've really enjoyed all the videos you've made on that genre and I've discovered a lot of music from them, and expect to discover even more now. Thanks for all the great work you do on these!

Being a big Asylum Party fan and owning their original pressings makes me happy to see you expressing love for the band.

Best post punk album of all time: Metal Box. 2nd edition by PIL

The Cabaret Voltaire CD is genius.

Thanks again for the shout out. Haven't heard all those artists but I'll check them out soon. I'm a big Cabaret Voltaire and Eyeless in Gaza fan. Keep the videos coming as you do such a good job. Cheers

Me and my friends had the chance to see James Chance aka James White perform on multiple occasions in NYC back in the early 80’s. Max’s KC, Irving Plaza, and a tiny place called Squat which wasn’t much bigger than a small nyc apartment. I also saw John Cale at the same venue. He was always great and I still have both the “off white” and “buy” albums. He had a fantastic backing band Including Jody Harris, George Scott, and Pat Place. Thanks!

Great video and nice to see you mentioned The Cabs (Cabaret Voltaire). I remember listening to them when I used to go to venues around Sheffield in the 1980's.

Hey Hanna! Two Cabaret Voltaire LPs you should try to find are “The Crackdown”, and “The Covenant, The Sword And The Arm Of The Lord.” 1983 and 1985, respectively.

Another cracking video! I have 'Micro Phonies' on cd...it was marked down to 99p in our local Woolworths [R.I.P.] some years ago. I also bought the reissue of 'Rust Red September' a couple of years back...double lp on white vinyl AND it was only £10 brand new. A beautiful album. My mate lent me the original lp when it came out and I recorded it onto a cassette which I played until it practically wore out. Oh,and I also have The Cabs 'Groovy,Laidback & Nasty' lp + 12'' set. Keep up the great work!

Thank you so much for contributing your knowledge to us all! I have a massive catalog of music... but nobody can hear everything, so I really appreciate the suggestions... More than half of these bands remain unknown to me... so I have some work to do.. .My all-time favorite post-punk band is THE CHAMELEONS... who I think are criminally underrated. I know you know of them... but I always feel like they're just a secret when I see so many lists without their name appearing... Keep up the great work!!!

Hi Hannah - I don't think you mentioned Sad Lovers & Giants in this video, but if you haven't come across them yet, DEFINITELY check them out, comparable in idiosyncratic quality to Eyeless in Gaza, and i also hear echoes of early Cure and Smiths. GREAT stuff.

Great bunch right in my wheelhouse, love most of the bands you mentioned.

German film star was a sizeable hit here in the uk, I love it so much I have 2 copies, just in case I scratch one! I do that sometimes, I have 2 copies of racing cars they shoot horses don’t they, and Leo sayer moonlighting, now that is random for an old punk!

Thought your start was hilarious and the Beatles tease, I want to see that video happen. I have encountered Eyeless in Gaza before and I remember liking what I heard. I didn’t know For Against was from Nebraska either. Modern Eon…loved the samples and thanks for including them. Ist Ist👏

Great stuff Hannah! How about some earlier Cabaret Voltaire such as their first and second, Mix Up and Voice of America, and their live LP, Live at the YMCA? Plus try the pre Red Mecca outing 2x45. All on Rough Trade.

So much to discover! Thanks for sharing!

sooo many great ones here. contortions, fehlfarben, grauzone, cabaret voltaire. all big inspirations to me.

You've may have heard of the band TR/ST and the albums The Destroyer - 1 & 2 but if you have not please check them out. Depeche Mode meets Joy Division with a lot of synth.

You’ll be the death of my bank account!, just sampled and ordered ist ist. I’m a huge post punk fan from uk, love the dry cleaning behind you, they are amazing, she’s on the new sleaford mods album also an amazing band.

This is great, thanks for all the new bands to check out. I immediately went and listened to Eyeless In Gaza's Photographs album. Cabaret Voltaire are one of my all time favourite bands.

Interesting picks Hannah!! I dig how you go for the odd & weird, as do I...cool how you go for the NYC No Wave stuff like James Chance & the Contortions and James White & the Blacks...there used to be these 2 cool avant garde clubs in NYC called the Cooler and the original Knitting Factory, used to go in the late 90s & 00's...ok, here are 4 bands/artists, not sure if you know em but I love em...60s band the Monks, Japanese band the Boredoms, John Zorn & Naked City & amazing Canadian band the Spoons...who I think would be totally up your alley...

Crispy Ambulance, Aerial FX, 39 Clocks, Passions, Savage Republic, Dog Face Herman’s, Contortions, James White, Asylum Party, and Ideal are all new to me. It wasn’t till the very end until I got to the music I recognized which was Grauzone and Caberet Voltaire. Both of which I only have on comps. New music is why I love your channel and thanks for including the Thick Pigeons sound sample ❤

Ooh! .. The Passions! I saw them live back in the day at one of the Futurama Festivals. Around the time of when ‘I’m In Love With A German Filmstar’ was released.

Hi Hanna! Thanks for another deep dive into one of my favourite genres. I’ve heard of many of these bands, but haven’t explored some of them. Early Cabaret Voltaire are pretty cool. Have you ever explored the Lounge Lizards, or a later Arto Lindsay project Ambitious Lovers. Not really post punk, more jazzy with some Brazilian rhythms at times. The vinyl pressing is stellar!

Recently stumbled on an OG press of Middle Class- Homeland from 1982 and absolutely loved it. I'm far from an expert but i think they could qualify for the next overlooked post punk video :)

Love your music taste. Ist Ist very exy to purchase,also normally very limited copies pressed, always excellent music out of Manchester 👍

Wow i have some exploring to do with these artists you were showcasing today it's been a fun deep dive and I'll be giving some of these artists a try thanks to this video

Tight contest in the early 80s between Crispy Ambulance and Section 25 for the title of second-best band on Factory. Lowtide are a band I picked up on from one of your Shoegaze videos. They've done a version of Asylum Party's Julia.

Heyyyyyy! Thanks for the shoutout Hanna! That really was a mutually beneficial trade, and I’m happy you got to add the companion piece to your Contortions LP. Modern Eon sounds intriguing and love that band name. Love the passion that you have for the genre, and this is what the VC is all about for me. “Rad👍🏻👍🏻”🤣🤣

I've gotten into a lot of new bands watching your channel Hannah, and for that I thank you.

Thanks for another great episode. This channel keeps me in check when I think I know everything about the punk era circa 1975 - 1990. And beyond. NOTE: This is the ONLY time I've seen the Ideal album since I got mine in Bremen, Germany waaaaay back in the day. Wow!

Wow. What an orgy of obscurities! For Against deseved to be as big as REM. It's great to see some love for Asylum Party. Have you ever heard The Lucy Show? I think you would really really really like them - especially their 1st album Undone. Where's the Chameleons!!?? 😁Happy listening, Hanna.

Another great video Hanna! I thought I knew a lot about the post-punk era, but I didn't know any of those bands! I'll definitely check some of them out. Keep up the great work!

Huge Savage Republic fan. For Against put an album out on the band's Independent Project record label, they did some of the most beautiful and intricate packaging.

Hey Hannah. Welcome to the Eyeless in Gaza appreciation society :) certainly an acquired taste. Red Rust September is my go to. Such an original sound, so much so that I wouldn’t even attempt to describe who else they sound like. Modern Eon’s Child’s Play was a killer single when it came out (I had to have it). Passions….yes! What a band. German Film Star always makes my list of best songs from the 80s. Barbara Gogan…what a voice. Their third album Sanctuary is worth having as well. Far more polished than the previous two ( recorded at John Foxx’s Garden Studios) and features the addition of Kevin Armstrong to the band ( the album features a cover of one of songs called Love is Essential). Kevin is an artist worth tracking. If you are looking at overlooked post punk albums his first band Local Heroes SW9 released an album called Drip Dry Zone…it’s a must have. This vid really brought back some memories thank you…and enjoy the Cab Voltaire journey, it’s such an interesting ride. Cheers.

OMG!! Crispy Ambulance! Such a great album you shared!

Great stuff! Ive quite recently been totally obsessed with 39 clocks and Jürgen Gleue solo stuff under the alter ego Phantom Payn. Soo good!

So much great ground covered here. And I love seeing those PIL and The Fall albums on proud display. ❤ Hanna

Brilliant to see you exploring the post-punk genre again! I’m very much looking forward to watching this 😊👍🏻

Definitely do a post punk album rankings video- really like to see what your favs are!

I can't remember if I had told you about this German band before, but check out New Days Delay. They put out a couple albums and an EP from 2000 to 2014. My favourite track is "Radioactive" from their first album; Splitterelastisch.

I like the way you are introducing the video with great details and you are so great in your analysis. Greetings from Athens

Thank you YT algorithm, so glad this channel was recommended; I have been a atl rock/post punk fan for over 40 years; this is only the 2nd vid of yours I have seen but the records you have in the background blew me away. I bought "caught in the Flux in 1983, just after getting into post punk (the fall, G of 4, KJ, JD, Cure,, echo, chameleons, Wire, magazine, Bauhaus, chameleons, sound, lucy show, Cocteau T, Felt, Died Pretty, all the Paisly Underground stuff........) Been a fan of For Against since hearing about the in the Big Takeover in 1990. Can't wait to check out your other videos.

Excellent post-punk albums you showed off, Hanna! Of course, all of it is unfamiliar with me.

Glad youre keeping the postpunk faith. Great content. My list of bands to check out is growing. ! Happy listening.

Crispy Ambulance is one of my favorites. Got a bunch of their stuff. I even liked their reunion album that no one else seemed to like in my circle

I’m super stoked to see the Killing Joke album in the background. They are my favorite band ever and that album is a masterpiece. Loved that you brought up The Contortions. Such a fantastic and interesting band and album!

Hey Hannah, did you see that The Cranes are releasing new material? Not sure if you're into them or not... talking about the British band from the 90s with the female singer.

Hey! Glad I found you! I love this "genre". Thank you for your program. I have dozens of albums from post-punk, and will let you know if I think of something you might like. You rock!

So interesting to watch your channel always learning

Very cool video. I have that Thick Pigeon on vinyl, great album all the way through, heard "Misuse" on the local college radio station when I was in high school, and found it on vinyl while visiting NYC that summer. Hope you find one. Cheers Hanna!

Eyeless In Gaza! I got to see Martyn perform live in 2000. Love Drumming the beating heart and their most experimental album Pale Hands I Loved So Well. Modern Eon is on my want list. Friend of mine had Child's Play 7" back in the day

Great post punk vid. Props on those Asylum Party records I love those, oh also that Modern Eon record too. Found that on vinyl for 7 bucks years ago in Asheville. Love all those records on your back wall as well. Thanks for turning me on to Velveteen. Really like their latest. I'm on a lot of newer shoegaze shit right now. Sparkler, Blushing and Luster to name a few.

Really great as ever, Hanna. Quite a few I’m not familiar with there, so I’ll be checking them out. Enjoyed the samples too. As I commented to another viewer, it seems you have two of us from Eyeless in Gaza’s home town. Must be something in the water, as they say! Some I enjoy AC Maria’s - One of Our Girls is maybe loosely post punk but a lovely record. Sure you’re familiar with Swell Maps, ramshackle but somehow melodic. Rip, Rig and Panic with Neneh Cherry (and featuring her stepfather, Don!) for a strange brew of funk, reggae, jazz, experimental. You may know them all, it’s difficult to keep up with your collection! Cheers, Wayne.

(Fletch wakes up) “Nurse, where am I?” “Dr. this is the records room.” “Do you have The Beatles White Album?” 😂😂

Great vid ! Lots of new music to explore. If you’re looking for newer post punk , both Shame and the Murder Capital have put out new lps this year.

Thanks for a fascinating tour around the backwaters of post-punk! It was such an incredibly exciting and innovative period in music, too bad there isn't really a modern equivalent. Oh, allow me to recommend the excellent Fire Engines comp 'Fond' if you've not yet had the pleasure...

Howdy Hanna! You definitely featured some overlooked (obscure) Post Punk titles this time. I was only familiar with James White and the Blacks, Contortions 'n Cabaret Voltaire. As usual you've given me a plethora o' new music to explore 'n I thank you.

Hi Hannah, just sending overdue THANKS for turning me on to Eyeless in Gaza. I can't think of any other post-punk bands (or bands period, for that matter), who blended Middle Eastern themes with a new wave/pop sensibility. It's a unique sound as a result. The main guy's voice is not for everybody, but I've come to appreciate it along with every other aspect of their music. I would really recommend you and others check out the 1993 compilation Voice which surveys their music chronologically from 1980 to 1986. That was my entry to their universe after you mentioned them, and I look forward to picking up all the early albums you showed too.

A great overlooked album is Laughing Academy by Punishment of Luxury.

I like early Eyeless In Gaza too! There's a CD comp on Cherry Red of early singles and B-sides called "Sixth Sense" that's pretty addictive. But they are a group that keeps evolving, and in the best possible way. I highly recommend the albums "Bitter Apples," "All Under the Leaves, the Leaves of Life," "Song of the Beautiful Wanton," and especially the 3-disc version of "Summer Salt/Subway Sun" from Beta-Lactam Ring in Portland.

Hi Hanna, Great to see the FALL getting some love behind you. That PIL Japanese pressing behind you is amazing. Eyeless in Gaza sound interesting. I will check them out. Great diversity in your picks/likes. Rock ON!

Yeah Post-Punk!!! Is that Epic Garden Music (behind you) the OG? LOVE that record. Love everything you shared. I might have a couple Savage Republic dupes. Hit me up. Have a Thick Pigeon I might part with, and a Stanton Miranda (related). So happy to have helped with the For Against stuff! My pleasure to help on everything. You run a great show!

So glad you got The Passions Michael and Miranda and their second album too !! and another great list, as usual. There's also this very obscure british band called Bona Dish that released a couple of cassetes in 81-82 and then disbanded. Then, several years later, there was a compilation called The Zaragoza Tapes with their whole catalogue. It's super rare, but a favorite of mine. They sounded kind of like those charming Postcard records releases, with a bit of early The Cure with female vocals ? It's unpolished and jangly in true indie fashion but very catchy. Also predates the type of sweet/sour indie pop of bands like Heavenly or Tiger Trap that got a respectable cult following in the early 90s

My older brother was a Fra Lippo Lippi fan before. He even saw them live here in Manila I think in 1987-88. The only cassette tape of his I have with me now is "In Silence" which I still listen too. With Cabaret Voltaire, the first record of them I bought and heard was "the Conversation" which is pure space ambient and not the post punk/industrial music one would expect. Thanks for some artists recommendations. Will try to find Modern Eon and 39 Clocks CDs/vinyl here.

Thanks for the video! All very good stuff. Asylum Party were an amazing band. Their best track, in my opinion, is Misfortune? on their 12" EP What Will You Learn. I highly recommend it if you don't know it already. To remain in France: the small output of Opera de Nuit is all fantastic. Hard to find these days unfortunately. Vinyls go for insane prices. I have a double CD that the band put out a few years ago with all their discography.

Nice to see albums I’m not familiar with. I always walk away from your channel learning something new about music. Well done. Enjoyed the video.

Wow, Fehlfarben, Grauzone & Ideal great stuff from Germany, well done Hanna!

ANother really nice selection. With Crispy Ambulance! Plus a bunch of new-to-me bands to search out... thanks! Thick Pigeon, whoo!

Hi Hannah very interesting albums post punk , I see it you like Germany bands , I would to recommend this band PERFIDIOUS WORDS, great band , thanks to share whit us .

I had discogs open the entire time I watched this video! Some records I already have and some I need to get!

I want to hear Live at the Witch Trials...had no idea they recorded those!

This is absolutely brilliant - just when I thought I had post punk 'covered', no I very much haven't. Several additions here for my Discogs list, most excellent. Please keep them coming, great job you are doing here, spreading to good word on obscurities. I recently got hold of Caught In Flux by EIG myself. Yet to spin it, so will be very soon. I may have mentioned these bands before to you: The Passage The Method Actors The Dancing Did You may well have some already. If not, trust me - you will love them all! Take care 🙂

Hi thank you! Same story here, I'm into post punk now at about the same time. Huge Chameleons fan and I haven't seen all the video yet but I must recommend Sad Lovers and Giants, my favorite is Imagination but they have many others. Will be checking your Chameleons video next! Cheers

You are the only person I have heard talk of James Chance album Buy. Yeah, I loved that! Also, you may already know of Howard Devoto's post-Magazine band Luxuria. They only have two albums, but their first "Unaswerable Lust" is wonderful. I assume you're familiar, but in case you are not, well worth your time. I look forward to more of your programs. Thanks!

🙋‍♂️ Hanna - Very cool Modern Eon record ! .. Love The Passions & Barbara Gogan " I'm In Love With A German Filmstar " has such a beautiful introduction & was very innovative at the time with the echo on the guitar. The Foo Fighters have covered it. Microphonies is awesome 👌 .. The video to Sensoria hooked me. 3 recommendations .. The Scars ( From Scotland ) Author ! Author ! A classic from 1981. The Abecedarians ( Discovered by Bernie from New Order ) Both albums Eureka & Resin are great but CD 💿 compilation AB-CD with some remixes is best bet. From Atlanta .. 86 .. 3 great atmospheric albums. Pretty cheap on line. Great start to the day ! Thanks ✌️

Hi Hannah! Lots of great stuff here as I’m watching in segments so I don’t miss anything! Curious, have you ever listened to the Desperate Bicycles? 1979 post punk. I love it! You’d dig it.

Post punk fan support here! I'm going to check out For Against, new to me! Asylum Party and Ariel FX both sound really interesting. I'm also a fan of no wave and darkwave. nice acquisitions! Listening to these albums this week: Last Tourist s/t (new shoegaze from UK), PIL's Flowers of Romance, Drain by Troller, It will come to you by Actors, and Juju by Siousie/Banshees.

OK. You're freaking me out now. Asylum Party is one of my favorite bands. I discovered them about 13 years ago and I told my musical partner that I wanted to do a modern version of the Asylum Party vibe. Then I discovered Soft Kill and they had went ahead and did it! You have great taste in music!

I need to find some of those For Against albums. I checked them out, and they sound amazing.

I totally dig the James Chance stuff…. especially “Buy”. Great video! Thanks!!😃

The Passions was a great recommendation, I'm really digging their sound. You should check out Savage Republic's album Live in Europe, I think you would enjoy that one much more!

Have you heard Intrique 4 cd compilation boxset ? A great gateway to postpunk music. It features some of the lesser known uk-bands.

The interesting thing here is that while I've had Eyeless in Gaza albums since the early 80's, I hadn't made the connection with Martyn Bates' solo work, which is more in the psych-folk vein, and which I'm also a huge fan of. I've actually never heard maybe half of the other bands you mentioned. Many of the others I just haven't heard for years. I must fix that. I've been a fan of Cabaret Voltaire from their first single release in 1978.

I thought your video was going to be a clean sweep of artists for which I am unfamiliar. Until you pulled out that excellent final album from Dog Faced Hermans. Definitely check out their previous release, Hum of Life. Marion Coutts is definitely a unique talent. She presently is an author, sculpter, photographer, and filmmaker. Her book The Iceberg is a very interesting and moving read. Highly recommended. I love videos like this. Thanks so much Hanna for covering all of these unknown artists for me to check out. I pulled up a couple of Ist Ist videos and you are correct abot the Ian Curtis vocal similarities. One last thing. I don't recognize that Sound album on display. What is it? Gratitude.

Great video per usual! I was researching some of the titles you suggested and stumbled upon this gem I think you minght really enjoy! 'Twin Tribes ‎- Shadows' So cool to see this genre alive and well in 2023! - Cheers!

Hey Hanna,sorry if I haven’t watched your videos in a while.Great Post Punk video,been a fan of the genre since high school in the late 2000s,i’m definitely gonna check out IST IST and Cripsy Ambulance cuz I luv the music of Manchester…take care!

Grauzone is dope! I have one of their tracks in my regular set

Grauzone are quite popular in Europe, not only among Post Punk fans, cause their track Eisbar was a minor hit that was also played in every club during the late 90s/early 2000 (thanks to the Electroclash trend). When you start digging into German New Wave, don’t skip the first album and first singles from a band called Palais Schaumburg (my favorite!). Also, the marvelous Malaria!, DAF, Mau Mau and more that now I cannot recall. And it’s nice to see someone who shares the same thoughts on that Savage Republic album, I’ve had it for years now, but I still can’t get over those vocals, ugh…

Interesting to see you discovering the music of my youth. Glad you discovered Eyeless in Gaza. I think Rust Red September is their best, probably because that was the only vinyl album of theirs I had when I was young. Check out the recent Cherry red box set for everything they did on that label. I have a suggestion for a more obscure band to check out I listened to again recently - the Laughing Clowns, from Australia. Also have you heard Josef K ?

Great video. Tons for me to explore. I came across a UK RSD reissue this year that might also interest you. Schleimer K’s s/t 1981 album?

More Beatles content! no other channel does that, you’ll be ahead of the curve.😅

Yes! So glad to see EIG in there - Photographs as Memories and Drumming the Beating Heart are incredible. And as you say Martyn's vocals are amazing - a slightly acquired taste, maybe. But still. Knives Replace Air, Picture the Day, One by One, Speech Rapid Fire, White Wash - oh and the incredible Veil Like Calm. PS I also rate For Against - and in particular, their track Sabres.

Oooo, I should look for that Dog Faced Herman's reissue - old favorite, I still have a couple disks on CD - makes me think of 'Pet UFO' too, I always pair them in my head, though the first is a bit more crazy

Excellent albums. I have a few of those in my collection as well, mostly as mp3. Huge Cabs fan. Have you noticed the Micro-Phonies poster in Ferris Bueller's bedroom in the film? I'd love that on my wall! Happy collecting and hello from Sacramento.

I'm so glad you mentioned Savage Republic. Ceremonial isn't my favorite album of theirs. I recommend their third album from 1988, Jamahiriya Democratique et Populaire de Sauvage. Also, Customs from 1989 has many great moments, not the least of which is the song "Rapeman's First Ep". You briefly mentioned The Ex: Check out Joggers and Smoggers from 1989 and from 1998, Starters and Alternators.

Always great to watch your videos! Since you talked a lot about Europe, have you ever listened to something from Italy? I suggest Chrisma, they were post punk ahead of their time in ‘77! You should give it a try!