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FILE UNDER: Post-punk, art rock YEARS OF EXISTENCE: 1977-1981 RECORD TO START WITH: The Correct Use Of Soap (1980; 2007, EMI) AFTER THAT, CHECK OUT: Real Life (1978; 2007, EMI) GO DOWNLOAD: "A Song From Under The Floorboards" (YouTube live video), "Shot By Both Sides," "Back To Nature," "Philadelphia," "The Light Pours Out Of Me," "My Tulpa," "Because You're Frightened" THE MUSIC, THE MESSAGE: Original Buzzcocks frontman Howard Devoto formed Magazine in 1977, telling Melody Maker he was bored with punk. And to be the odd man out in a band like the Buzzcocks is to be an odd man indeed: The kind who'd quit punk just as punk became a paying gig, go for subtlety while everyone else was abusing three chords and-in a time when you could buy nihilism from any vending machine-come up with truly creepy stuff like, "The cold light of day pours out of me/Leaving me black and so healthy." With spine-jolting guitarist John McGeoch, Devoto proceeded to forge strangely satisfying music, too pretty to be punk, too muscular to be pop, too complex to be either-by 1980, journalists were calling it "post-punk." But unlike so many other post-punk frontmen, Devoto's coldness was genuine, not just robotic chic. Devoto explored himself and his surroundings with the clinical eye of a dedicated scientist, describing architecture ("A Song From Under The Floorboards"), romantic discomfort ("Back To Nature") and the pit of the psyche ("The Light Pours Out Of Me") with undeniably poetic results. Among his peers, he was the thinking-man's alternative to Joy Division's Ian Curtis. PUNK-ROCK RELEVANCE: Magazine are one of those bands who can't be cheaply imitated, so while the recent "post-punk revival" lived and died by copping Gang Of Four, Magazine's influence remains as tough to pin down as their music. In the big picture, the band's use of keyboards was groundbreaking, making the case that a loud guitar and a chilly synthesizer could have a conversation without getting mired in flabby prog-rock, setting a precedent that drove the English rock of the '80s. Devoto's literacy seems to have rubbed off on Magazine fan Morrissey, while the afterimage of McGeoch's guitar is unmistakable in U2. Radiohead claim Magazine as a direct influence. CURRENT WHEREABOUTS: After leading the band for four years, Devoto jumped ship into a short-lived solo career backed by Magazine keyboardist Dave Formula. Since then, he's worked as a photo archivist, poking back into the public eye for the dancey '80s band Luxuria, a one-off reunion with the Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley called Buzzkunst, and a goofy cameo in the Manchester, England, rock-scene film 24 Hour Party People. McGeoch, who went on to play with Siouxsie And The Banshees and PIL, died of unknown causes in 2004. All four Magazine LPs, complete with singles, have just been reissued on CD by EMI. -Andrew Marcus |
