and techniques played a prominent role
in this ambitious and precisely-crafted
album, with sounds that range from
spirited, discordant strumming to funky
stabs, blips and beeps, and undulating,
modulated textures that seem to float
in and out like the ghosts of guitars
past. Chairs Missing is practically a
post-punk blueprint.
Tom Varlaine & Richard Lloyd
Bands: Television
Great Britain’s post-punk scene tends
to get all the press, but there were
several American progenitors of
arty noise that continue to wield an
outsized influence on modern music.
New York’s Television was perhaps
the most influential of these bands.
Helmed by the Fender-wielding tag-
team of Tom Verlaine and Richard
Lloyd, Television’s Marquee Moon may
be the best album of the post-punk
era. Its tangled, knotty dual guitar
lines intertwine like copulating cobras,
alternately caressing and
undermining each
other as the mesmerizing rhythm
section of Billy Ficca and Fred Smith
push the songs forward to infinity. And
whereas a lot of punk guitarists were
known for their lack of conventional
technical skills, Tom and Richard
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could really play, weaving an intricate
tapestry of harmonic and rhythmic
genius that just doesn’t let up. Despite
an initial lack of commercial
success,
Television’s influence has grown
steadily into modern times. Bands like
Franz Ferdinand simply could not exist
without them, and Tom Verlaine was
the original Jazzmaster-wielding
New York hipster.
9 Absolutely Essential Post-Punk Guitarists