MUSIC for STUDY

SEX PISTOLS
KRAFTWERK
THE CLASH
PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.
JOY DIVISION
KATE BUSH
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES
AU PAIRS
COCTEAU TWINS
ARTERY
HUMAN LEAGUE
HEAVEN 17
THE SPECIALS
CABARET VOLTAIRE
TEARS FOR FEARS
DEPECHE MODE
THE SOUND
THE GLOVE
STEEL PULSE
THE CURE
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS
GANG OF FOUR
NEW ORDER
U2
THE POLICE
CRASS
NEW MODEL ARMY
ELVIS COSTELLO
SPLIT ENZ
THE THE
XTC
THE EXPLOITED
DISCHARGE
THE SMITHS
THE HOUSEMARTINS
RADIOHEAD
PORTISHEAD
PET SHOP BOYS
M Y BLOODY VALENTINE
SLOWDIVE
CRASH MUSIC
MUSIC OF THE TROUBLES

VIDEOS:

SEX PISTOLS
SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES (LIVE)
THE CURE (LIVE)
COCTEAU TWINS (LIVE)
NEW ORDER (LIVE)
PORTISHEAD (LIVE)
JOY DIVISION MINI-DOCUMENTARY
NUCLEAR WAR PREPAREDNESS: PROTECT & SURVIVE MANUAL

 

Music and British Identity


This section of the course website is a growing library of numerous bands in and outside of Britain during the postwar period (post-1945) that had a profound effect in shaping the political and social sound of British life. The graffiti on the corrugated fence wall to the right contains the names of various groups or artists whose music is crucial to understanding contemporary Britain.

Click a band name (to the right) to explore its music.

For some important pre-punk music influences, please visit the "Pre-Punk Influences" page.

Study Questions for Assigned Music:
Listen to the assigned music carefully. Use the following questions as a guide for studying the songs/bands, though you do not need to answer each question formally in your D2L forum responses. You may need to listen several times to really catch details in the song.

  1. How would you identify the tone of the song? Remember that "tone" can mean (1) a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength; or (2) the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, artwork, piece of music, etc.
  2. Is the tone of the song consistent, or does it change? Explain.
  3. What elements (e.g., lyrics, differences in vocal sounds, differences in pitches/noises produced by instruments, etc.) affect the tone and overall meaning of the song?
  4. How would you place the genre of the song? Musical genre include funk, rock, ballads, rhythm and blues (R&B), punk, hardcore, metal, country, folk, etc.
  5. What do the lyrics mean? Analyze the word choice and structure of the language carefully. Is a story being told, or a certain kind of wisdom being offered? Is there a key message, or messages, being offered to the listener?
  6. How do the lyrics and style of singing interact with the sound of the instruments? Do they work together or against each other?

Note: Please use Safari or Firefox browsers to explore the band pages. However, the music pages have been successfully tested using Safari, Firefox, and Chrome browsers.