5. Interpol — “Evil”
In most ways, Interpol is more indebted to New Wave than post-punk, even if the boundary behind them is hazy. Turn on the Bright Lights had some of those tendencies (“Obstacle 1”), but the New York City crew leaned more in that direction on its second disc, Antics, and the moody “Evil” seemed to run with it more than any other cut, undaunted by the task of stacking up to its vaunted predecessor.
4. Death From Above 1979 — “Romantic Rights”
Putting more punk into post-punk than anyone else here, the rawness of the two-piece dynamic and gritty fuzz only amplified what was a simple but effective hook at the heart of this You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine standout. The band burned out soon after, but was reunited and surprisingly vital on its comeback sophomore LP, The Physical World.
3. The Rapture — “Whoo! Alright – Yeah …Uh Huh.”
The New York dance-rockers evolved spectacularly with 2011’s In The Grace of Your Love … that is until the group broke up last year. Pieces of the People We Love will always be a monument to not only The Rapture but also to the power dance-punk had when placed in the right hands.
2. Franz Ferdinand — “Take Me Out”
More so than any other song on this list, “Take Me Out” entered the national conversation. It was too good to be contained, allowing the Glasgow rockers to not only go platinum in their native UK but also stateside. Maybe it’s because of the added value of packing two songs in one, that opening riff exploding into a foot-stomping anthem that unfolds into a battleground for a six-string shootout.
1. Bloc Party — “Banquet”
Let’s be honest: This is where this list was headed all along. Biased? Yes, but I think more than a few would agree with it anyway. This was the movement in a nutshell: angular dueling guitars, sweeping romantic hook and just a little frayed edge. It was the pristine post-punk pop jam of a fleeting — but exciting — era.
