If you’re tracing the path from post-punk into Madchester,

If you’re tracing the path from post-punk into Madchester, follow the basslines. Start with the nervous momentum of Gang of Four or early Wire, move through the melodic ache Hüsker Dü brought into alternative rock, then land in the baggy haze of the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays where the guitars loosened up and dance rhythms took over the room. It’s less a straight timeline than a slow change in atmosphere.