Beep Boop a Doop - It's Synth Pop Week, Motherlover!
 

Yep, it's synth pop week. Now, I assume most of you already know very well what synth pop is, but in case you don't I'll just say that it originated in the late 70s and became very popular during the 80s and has been popular now and then since. Let's not complicate things - it's pop music where synthesizers are an essential part of the sound.

Most of us have perhaps an ambivalent relationship with synth-pop because the many slightly embarassing and outdated hits and synth-pop anthems from the 80s are still relatively fresh in memory. This week is the time to come clean with your love!

Since I'm from Norway, I have to use this opportunity to pay a little homage to our own synth pop heroes from A-Ha. "Take on Me" is one of the most popular pop song exports we've ever had.



So now I've shown you mine. Show me yours!

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark are one of the best Synth Pop groups, their first two albums are gold.

And who can forget Depeche Mode possibly the most well known Synth Pop artist. Violator is just fantastic.

I'll see your A-HA and raise it with Trans-X



Also this thread just gives me an excuse to post more Ultravox.

Oh! I guess my avatar could count, Klaus Nomi.

Having been dragged up to the sound of Duran Duran by my older sister, I've still got a soft spot for them...


Also (just cos I had a total girl crush on Annie Lennox as a kid), The Eurythmics...


And in total agreement with James here...

Yeee, I love synth-pop. I hope you don't mind if I repeat some choices from the 'Best of 80s synth pop' thread, because those are some of my favorite songs from this genre.

Visage-Fade to Grey

Soft Cell-Tainted Love


My favorite electro pop is the one with a more raw sound and a punk immediacy like Fad Gadget

A couple more favourites from the 80s for me are these guys, Talk Talk and Tears for Fears, here examplified with the songs "It's My Life" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" :) I'm sure I too posted at least one of these in the best of 80s synth-pop thread, but oh well!

What about Kraftwerk. I know they weren't a pop band in a more strict sense of the word, but they sure knew how to make some good electro-pop songs. Not to mention that they were a great influence on this genre among other things.

I agree Kraftwerk deserves a mention. They were pop now and then and you can't argue their influence. The Model is such a boring and overrated pop song though. I much prefer We Are The Robots!

I also like their expo 2000 single which in 99/2000 was the first commercial recording from Kraftwerk released since 1986 :)

Japan are great also, I prefer their earlier non-Synth stuff, but their Synth stuff is good too.

No way :( . I love that song, but there are many Kraftwerk songs that I love even more, like Radioactivity. :)

The William Orbit 12'' Remix of that one is kinda cool :)

Seriously? Is there even any synth in there? Coz there certainly isn't any pop. :\

Heard this on the radio today:

When I think of Klaus Nomi and synth pop, I think of songs like this :



.. which is the title track from his second album, Simple Man.

Bowie's Let's Dance is brilliant :D

Kate Bush's Experiment IV fits this thread for being synth-poppy although it's not among her best songs (still good though I think). Still - however one rates the song, the video is brilliant! It's a cool little horror story about scientists making a sound which is able to kill .. And this sound manifests as a kind of spooky Kate Bush. Definetly worth the watch!

I think Electric Café (1986) is their most synth-pop album. That's also my favourite one, but I'd add the song Computer Love (1981) too.

YES. <3

I guess Heaven 17 count. I like to think of them as dystopian twee. :D

I liked some of more sinister darkwave British synth bands, especially Shreikback. Their song This Big Hush first appeared on the soundtrack of Manhunter it always makes my flesh crawl. Shreikback was founded by bassist Dave Allen following his departure from the Gang of Four, along with charismatic fellow traveller Barry Andrews whose creepy whispered vocals became part of Shreikback's trademark sound. I created the video below by editing video footage from a History Channel show on natural disasters along with some random National Geogrpahic television footage tossed up with some random BBC video footage.



Another sinister UK synch band was Cabaret Voltaire a Sheffield Yorkshire outfit that specialized post punk, agit-prop themes in the same manner of Gang of Four, the Clash, and Au Pairs. Most of their brooding songs portrayed Great Britian as a dark neo-fascist Orewellian dystopia with no future.

^ True, it's an instrumental, but there's a hell of lot of melody in there.


^ My favourite NO single from the 80s. Well, second-favourite behind Fine Time anyway.


^ If you don't like this song I won't take you seriously as a human being ;)

Has anybody mentioned Pet Shop Boys?

I love their frank, upbeat, darkness.

It's a Sin


What Have I Done to Deserve This?


I'm also interested in the new synthpop revival. At least I like this band, Washed Out..

New Theory

Alphaville is another one which goes in here.

Good song, but I like Love action better:


Incidentally, did they ever produce anything remotely as good as Dare?

http://www.musicbanter.com/games-lis...litz-game.html brings us here this morning.

The "Week" threads, dedicated to a different genre each week, were one of MB's better institutions imo, though they were finally abandoned due to lack of member support. :(

Anyway, no reason why we shouldn't revisit one - after all, we have seven years of developments in synth pop to catch up on. What's happened since adidasss posted Human League in 2010 ?

My only worthwhile contribution is to say the Eurythmics are fun.

Early Depeche Mode maybe? Simple Minds?

I was literally just listening to Strawberry Switchblade, and then Discovery by ELO.

Ah there's plenty of good synthpop out there. Discovered these through my Albums of 2017 thread.

"Blood in your veins" by Massive Ego

a-ha are still masters of this art

"Oranges on Apple Trees" by a-ha

and then there's


"Beautiful Loser" by William Control

I've already posted this in some other threads recently but it fits in here, so...


Solid Space - Space Museum (1982)

Rather obscure, early 80's synth-pop with a low-budget, home demo sound. I'd guess it probably was actually recorded at home.

Not a bad track on the album.

Gary Numan and Tubeway Army were okay for a while. Numan had a huge hit with Cars in the US

Oh, the Cars put out a few solid tunes.

^ I was just about to post something by Gary Numan. He's still making albums and touring to this day. I think his newer stuff is some of the best he's ever done.

One of his early hits re-worked live in 2014...


Gary Numan 'Are Friends Electric ' Basement Sessions

In California we call it synthsoda.

Solid Space is excellent. Gotta give Yello a shout.

I was listening to this one earlier, so I might as well post it here...


Oppenheimer Analysis - New Mexico (1982)

And what would a synth-pop thread be without what is possibly my all-time favorite synth-pop single?


The Normal - T.V.O.D.

And the equally impressive flip side...


The Normal - Warm Leatherette

Might as well post this one here, also.
My favorite Soft Cell song...


Soft Cell - Sex Dwarf