The "punk vs. metal" dichotomy dates to the 80's, when the two camps were at each other's throats, no matter how similar thrash and hardcore began to sound. That false dichotomy died its final death with Pearl Jam, but I've resurrected it as a lense through which to view rock. Metal and punk represent two illustrious rock traditions-- the former grounded in virtuosity and artistic ambition and the latter grounded in anti-beauty and self-conscious simplicity. Much of the rock canon can be casually divided down these lines. For this reason I've subtitled the Jack series "Phooey on your Metal... let's listen to some Punk!"
The Jack series was composed as a single five hour ride through various manifestations of "punk" that was subsequently cut into four CD-length playlists, each with their own distinctive character. This the first of these is the most abrasive, most coherent, and the least representative. It tackles the complex between noise rock, math rock and emo that forms the core of post-hardcore (punk), with an emphasis on emo. Emo deserves a post and a playlist of its own a la my old radio show The Odyssey, but for now please rest assured that this playlist hardly constitutes what most people think of as "emo". This is a playlist of intricate, furious, guitar rock.
Playable playlist
http://grooveshark.com/playlist/Jack+Punk+1/81909679
Official tracklist
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ye5seas58jtk0on/Jack1playlist.xls
