If it's alt rock post it

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Portishead can be extremely dark. I remember when "Nobody Loves Me" came out. It was so bizarre, lol.

While I understand 80s New wave/synthpop is considered part of alternative rock I usually put those acts in a separate list. Personal choice, yours is not wrong.

Alternative rock started to come into mainstream use in the mid 80’s to distinguish acts like REM and The Smiths from MTV favored New wave synth acts such as Duran Duran and the Culture Club. By 1990 the term was used to describe most all post 1977 non hard rock/metal rock acts including those acts that were originally described as “New Wave” that were still popular such as the B-52’s and Depeche Mode.

Early alternative rock from before the definition came into wide usage.

I have somewhat of a hard time differentiating alt rock / new wavish rock / new wave rock pop. They all kind of blend altogether for one reason or another. Since I listen to tons and tons of different genres and music in general and also play music but I have never played alternative music nor rock. I probably should have labeled the post "alternative/alt-rock/new wave/etc" but such a voluminous title.

Last edited by pyrrhicwren on 30 Jan 2020, 4:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.

These genre definitions are subjective. It depends which music reviewer you read, your age, where you live, or just what makes sense to you. Definitions change over time and sometimes genre definitions are coined after the fact. In the UK they have never labeled much of anything after 1980 "New Wave" but in the US New Wave is defined as an 80s genre.

The various Internet "80s alternative" and "New Wave" formatted stations I listen to play 90+ percent the same groups. The 80s alternative stations playlists are slightly broader, they will play the Pixies and late 70s punk acts that the New Wave stations won't.

A group that Alternative stations play that New Wave stations generally don't are these guys



I definitely hear the nerdy, jerky Talking Heads, XTC "new wave" influences there. If I guessed their sins not being synth based and first getting noticed in 1986 a year too late.

Definitely nailed it on a location, era, etc defining the above mentioned genres. Growing up in a few different areas, the more guitar-based or punk leaning alt rock was never considered alternative even remotely. Everyone I knew just called it 'alternative', which comprised a lot of pop-ish, rock-ish, synth-ish, etc. Having one form of synesthaesia that mixes sound/music and emotions, I always liked 'alternative' bc I could never figure it out & it was semi-comforting in dark times when I grew up. Your playlists are top notch! I shall atone for synth laden misunderstandings.

Thank you for the compliment. No need to atone for anything. Like I said no one definition is wrong.

I am different from most fans of those groups in that I was in my 20s when it started in earnest and in my 30s during its 90s heyday. During the most of the 80s on Long Island "New Wave" was the catchall term. There were other terms bandied about Dance Oriented Rock(DOR), Post Punk, New Music(favored by industry professionals), Modern Rock, College Rock, Alternative Rock, Indie but "New Wave" always made the most sense to me. It would be later in hindsight that I would distinguish the terms. Back then Joy Division was "New Wave" to me, now they were "Post Punk". As a person coming into adulthood who was miserable in high school it was a rejection of what we now call classic rock and disco. It was not a particular sound but a whole new way of thinking of music with synths, video etc. I was lucky in that we had WLIR with its "Dare to Be Different" mostly anglophile synth based format. That was the perfect way to put it as far as I was concerned. The idea that there were others out there that were different and different could be fun was a revelation. In that way it was a prequel to my ASD diagnosis still decades away. I think the memory of it helped me at diagnosis time.

By the end of the 80s calling it new did not make sense. The few surviving groups were evolving. There is all this online argument about when New Wave "died". The Brits say 1980, Americans writers usually say '84 or '86. I view it as between '85 and '90 "New Wave" already a catchall genre was absorbed into the larger catchall genre "Alternative Rock".

Most New Wavers I see commenting hate and resent 90s alt and grunge. It seemed like it was going backwards to guitar based rock, the fashions were drab, the lyrics depressing. All true but as a teen in the 70s it was the best of worlds. Why would I not like a hybrid of punk and classic rock?

Since I do distinguish things now on you won't see The Human League and Duran Duran on my alt list even though the Internet alt stations have no problem with them. But you will see these

New wave seems to have been officially terminated around 88-90? I do like the grungy stuff and that too was called alternative where I used to live but not alterantive enough like Joy Division or NIN. Human League and Duran Duran were some of my favorites. My friend when I was young was a musical savant and he played a lot of Duran Duran. It reminds me of when I had an idea/hope of the future. I have afriend I haven't seen in a long time in East Islip. I heard you have to be making about 130 G's a yr to live alright out there though.

It is really expensive out there.

As I alluded to earlier during ‘87 to ‘90 after New Wave “died” were the peak success years commercially in America for The Cure, B-52’s, and Depeche Mode. You still had New Order doing well, as well as New Synth acts Pet Shop Boys and Erasure doing well. Information Society put two songs in the top ten in ‘88, and When In Rome’s “The Promise” just missed the top 10. Unlike the early 80s the music was not as dominant. It was the hair metal era not the New Wave era.

KROQ was an popular alternative station in Los Angeles
The KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1988
The KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1989

WLIR & WDRE 92.7 FM Screamer & Shreiks of the Week 1980-1997

You can really see things evolving on these lists

KROQ was cool; its content was played on other stations as well in other states. Information society I remember had one okay song. The newer -at that time- synthesizer bands were pretty cool. I was highly affected by synth music especially DM & Pet Shop Boys.