Alt.Eighties: Artist Selection – Quiet Life: Japan’s ‘decisive moment’

Henri Cartier-Bresson, pioneer of modern photojournalism, coined the phrase “The Decisive Moment”, a philosophy that encapsulates the precise instant when all the elements within the frame come together in perfect harmony.

It’s a term that has been adopted by many genres outside the world of photography and could absolutely be applied to UK band Japan’s 1979/80 album Quiet Life.

The album marks the moment when everything fell into place for Japan. Its release not only coincided with the changing of the decades along with the dramatic shift of punk into its post-punk fragments and sub genres but it marked a coming of age for the band who found a totally new voice.