Synth-Pop Britannia

CHVRCHES      A Scottish Indietronica trio for the modern plastic age who are said to have been inspired by eighties electronica, but whose particular brand of over-produced mindless pap is unlikely to inspire any religious devotion. They're so bad, they make Bronski Beat look good. 

VINCE CLARKE      A Synth-Pop legend and man of many bands, including Yazoo, the short-lived Assembly, Depeche Mode and Erasure (he's the quiet one in the background). Vince Clarke has been playing keyboards almost since he could Speak & Spell and for those who Just Can't Get Enough of Vince's cool synth vibes, he now has a New Life as a solo Electropop artist. 

THE COMMUNARDS      Oh God!  Is there any worse Synth-Pop band than The Communards (featuring the highly-annoying Jimmy Somerville)? No, don't answer that. They're about as welcome as the original Communards were in the French Third Republic. And the best thing about The Communards? Thankfully,, there's only two albums to listen to and if The Communards are the dis-ease, then the next Synth-Pop band on the list are The Cure. 

The Communards - Don't Leave Me This Way (or how to murder a classic song) 

DALEK I LOVE YOU     Does anyone love the Daleks? An alien race of tin pot dictators who are even more racist than the Nazis, wanting nothing less than to subjugate the human race and take over the world! In a shocking development, the Daleks have now fielded a candidate for the European Parliament. And you thought Jean-Claude Juncker was a threat to democracy and national sovereignty. 

 

I'm not a fan of either band. I can't stand Jimmy Somerville and The Communards and The Cure are a constant source of dis-ease for me, having only been added belatedly following Silly Puppy's suggestion. 

DEAD OR ALIVE     He may be more dead than alive now, but Pete Burns' infectious dance beats are destined to keep spinning 'round like a record, baby, for eternity.  

DEPECHE MODE      A Synth-Pop phenomenon (see video below) who breathed New Life into the genre. I Just Can't Get Enough of Depeche Mode, whose songs and lyrics were often as enigmatic as The Meaning of Love itself. In the notoriously tough music business where Everything Counts when it comes to the bottom line, Depeche Mode somehow managed to Get the Balance Right between catchy pop songs and intelligent Music for the Masses, arguably reaching their peak with their acclaimed Violator album in 1990. Throughout the 1980's, there was barely time to Enjoy the Silence, with one Depeche Mode hit record after another, which was almost enough to make Stock, Aitken & Waterman jealous. It's A Question of Time whether any Synth-Pop band will ever manage to repeat the success of Depeche Mode in the future, but I somehow doubt it, when modern electropop and indietronica bands can only Dream On of ever achieving Some Great Reward of similar fame and fortune. 

How hard can it be to say "Phenomenon"!?? 

THOMAS DOLBY      An avant-garde Synth-Pop musician whose hit song "She Blinded Me with Science" featured a guest appearance by the archetypal mad professor, Magnus Pyke, whose extravagant hand gestures and animated arm movements made him appear to be directing traffic at spaghetti junction. 

Do you want Dolby with that?