On the heels of the original punk movement arose a sound about as far from Johnny Rotten's adenoidal yelps as imaginable -- synth-pop, with its glassy, blissed out blips and beats or, alternatively, its droning dribs and drabs of depression. Taking their cues from seminal artists like Kraftwerk and Brian Eno, the synth-pop bands found inspiration in homemade synthesizers, layered tape collages and circuit-bent radios.
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| Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark |
Stalwart among the pioneers of this new sound was the Mersey band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (also known as OMD). While they would later go on to relative 80s fame with the track "If You Leave," featured prominently in the John Hughes' film Pretty in Pink, their album Crush contained a trove of lush synth treasures. Here's the title track:
Crush - OMD
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| Depeche Mode |
The best-known and biggest-selling act of the synth-pop genre was OMD's contemporaries, the ever-brooding Depeche Mode. Their bubbly 1981 breakout single "Just Can't Get Enough" now stands out in glaring relief against a sea of later melancholy hits like "People Are People," "Master and Servant" and the now widely covered "Personal Jesus." Here's a song in their gloomier vein, "Blasphemous Rumours":
Blasphemous Rumours - Depeche Mode
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| Computer Magic |
Today the 80s synth-pop sound is widely covered by bands from CEO to YACHT to the Beach House. Here's an exemplar from the lesser known Computer Magic, with their aptly named "Electronic Fences":
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