What’s in a name?
In today’s world where singularity and searchability is crucial when it comes to locating band names online, something as plain and generic as “New Musik” would hardly be optimal. Yet, the early ‘80s new wave band tends to show up handily in most any cursory Google search if you nail the all-too-clever “K” at the end. Once I dug into this band a little more, it was obvious why that was. But first, a little history. I’ve been going to used music and record stores since I could barely walk; inheriting my dad’s penchant for music and developing my own taste along the way. Even when record stores were near extinct around 2007, I’d still find places to explore and excavate rare and obscure gems from the past.
Sometime around 1980, CBS Records launched a campaign of almost a dozen of 10-inch vinyl EPs under its sub-label Nu Disk. (Again, there’s that clever “K.”) Years later, I started seeing these releases throughout used record stores, and they were seemingly everywhere. Even now, just visit your local mom-and-pop vinyl shop and there’s a decent chance you’ll at least see Found All the Parts by Cheap Trick or The Clash’s Black Market Clash—the label imprint’s top acts. But the label’s main focus seemed to be mostly centered on little-known (at least in these parts) new wave artists of the day, including The Continentals, Propaganda, and—you guessed it—New Musik. Out of these more obscure acts, New Musik would go on to be the most prolific and accomplished and are now seen as pioneers in the realm of ‘80s electronic pop. And, that’s a pretty solid reason why this somewhat idiosyncratic band of misfits shows up pretty readily in search now, several decades later.
The band was formed in the late ‘70s by vocalist, guitarist, and producer Tony Mansfield, along with keyboardist Clive Gates, bassist Tony Hibbert and drummer Phil Towner. While hardly household names like other early electronic pioneers, such as Kraftwerk, Devo, and Gary Numan, New Musik still impacted the early UK scene. One of the reasons the band stood out was its knack for ultra-infectious pop hooks and expert songcraft. While other electronic artists in the era of post-punk strived to be experimental to the point of inaccessibility, New Musik employed solid, and sensible song structures, which highlighted its inventive tendencies and knack for a good hook. Rather than position themselves as self-absorbed artistes more concerned with crafting moody soundscapes than selling records, New Musik was all about the tunes.
The band’s first album, From A to B is an innovative and upbeat affair from start to finish. Cracking the UK Top 40, the album flew out of the gate with four strong singles including “Living By Numbers,” “Straight Lines,” “This World Of Water” and “Sanctuary.” Chock full of infectious hooks beset in driving synth riffs and noisy blips and bleeps, this was something new for 1980. Unlike some of their counterparts, the band eschewed pretense and traded in both techy atmospherics and sing-a-long refrains. Think The Cars with a bit of that characteristic British wit and some odd, but fitting special effects and you get the idea. Aside from the big pop hooks and upbeat pace, the band could also have more subtle, reflective moments. “A Map of You” has shades of The Cure in its wispy tones but still fits well within the bigger picture.
New Musik would go on to release two more albums, Anywhere in 1981 and Warp in 1982. Ironically, each would gradually see the band veer further away from its pop pedigree, into more experimental territory. Anywhere still has some decent hooks, especially in the epic and lengthy “They All Run After the Carving Knife,” and “Luxury.” Still, the overall tone is more sophisticated and moodier, somewhat lacking the quirky charm of the debut.
By the time Warp was released, the band had all but abandoned its earlier traits by releasing a tech-heavy experimental collection of tracks that leveraged disparate sounds and rhythms as artsy statements rather than crafting cohesive pop song structures. There’s also a somewhat brilliant and bizarre cover of the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love” that recalled some of the wit and charm of the band’s earlier stuff. But oddly, the cover is positioned right next to a New Musik original by the same name. At this point, Mansfield was either flipping the bird to the more conventional synth-pop sounds of the day or had become completely engulfed in his own quest for artistic standing to see the forest for the trees.
Neither album would sell as well as the debut. At this point, new wave was a global phenomenon and many flashier and more polished acts dominated the movement. New Musik’s idiosyncratic and experimental pop brand was not in step with the times, and the world seemingly moved on.
But still, fast-forwarding 40+ years, the band’s original 10-inch Nu-Disk release in America has lived on for decades in the dusty bins of highly adored used record stores across the country, and I’m sure, it will continue to do so. On top of that, the band’s legacy has now been officially acknowledged with the release of From A To B – The Sony Years. This new box, courtesy of UK reissue experts Cherry Red, collects all three albums, along with a host of bonus material. Each of the three original albums sounds crisp and bright in this new remastered package. But beyond that, also included are rare, alternate versions, B-sides, and studio outtakes.
The set also comes with a color booklet with interviews and insights on the history of this undervalued band. And, as a bonus for those of us who’ve run across the band in used record stores, the glossy clamshell case included with this new set replicates the original artwork of the Nu Disk release. For those who have often wondered who or what this band is, this set’s a fitting tribute and frankly, long overdue.
For questions, comments, if something you’d like to see, hit me up. @JimKaz1
