Trend towards '80s sounds in modern music

[yorkie]

In general I don't particularly like most music that would count as 'modern' these days, though I've been trying (for various reasons) to find some modern music that is likeable.

I've more been into '90s music, but in recent years the incredible ease of finding old tracks on Youtube meant I was easily able to find music from the '80s which I liked, and I now wish I'd heard earlier!

Anyway, I was chatting with another forum member who commented that "there's been a trend towards 80s sounds recently" and a quick search finds several sources saying the same.

I recently discovered CHVRCHES, and now I can't stop listening to their songs. They somehow sound both very modern and evocative of the '80s at the same time.

http://www.scaruffi.com/vol8/chvrches.html

Chvrches, the Scottish trio of vocalist Lauren Mayberry, guitarist Iain Cook, and keyboardist Martin Doherty, were yet another derivative band in the style of synth-pop of the 1980s to ride the revival of that genre in the 2010s, following the success of Knife and many others. The singles and EP collected on The Bones of What You Believe (Virgin, 2013) exceled at imitation. The Mother We Share evokes early Madonna. Giorgio Moroder's disco-music is resurrected in We Sink and Science/Visions (the beat of I Feel Love coupled with the ferocity of the Sisters Of Mercy). Tether boasts thundering Pet Shop Boys-ian grandeur. Recover is an electronic power-ballad a' la dance-pop of that era.

http://themuse.jezebel.com/chvrches-leave-a-trace-is-smoke-and-mirrors-with-an-80s-1724642554

“Leave a Trace” feels heavily inspired by the new wave, electronic and art pop movements of the 1980s

Anyone else have similar tastes, and have you discovered CHVRCHES yet? If not, take a listen and see what you think. A good pair of headphones are recommended!

[youtube]4Eo84jDIMKI[/youtube]

And can anyone recommend other modern artists who have an '80s feel to their songs?

 

[dgl]

There's chromeo which have a kind of 80's electrofunk sound to them.

Sent from my Lumia 625 using Tapatalk

 

[90sWereBetter]

Haim are pretty good, their debut was pretty indebted to late 1970s/1980s Fleetwood Mac. Their second album is due later this year, it'll be interesting to see where they take their sound.

I'm also a big fan of CHVRCHES as well, "The Mother We Share" and "Gun" are absolute monster pop songs.

Admittedly, I'm far more of a 90s music fan than the 80s. Britpop fanboy here.

 

[Blindtraveler]

As someone who makes a living playing records its fascinating when something like this happens and even more so when a 13 year old girl comes up and asks for an old 80s classic and goes wild when its played. Hadn't acquainted myself with the artist mentioned above yet, no prises for guessing what I'm doing tomorrow then!

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Sadly I'm at an age now when I've all but given up keeping up with the current scene. Recent times have seen far too many boy bands and US urban hip-hop/r'n'b artists for my liking. But as a keen fan of 80s music, especially synth-pop, I've had a quick listen to a few Chvrches tracks and enjoyed them. How much genuine influence comes from 80s music would be for the artists themselves to talk about. But it's no soundalike, a little too polished for that. Electronics were much less developed back then and I think that gave 80s synthesisers a certain edginess lacking now. So Chvrches sounds to me like how Britney Spears might have sounded had she been British!

 

[EM2]

I was listening to Ladyhawke in the car this morning, and her music would fit very well into the style that you're describing.
I'd also add Gwenno, who sings in Welsh and Cornish, and Chromatics.
I'm on my phone at the moment but will add more later.

 

[telstarbox]

Yorkie, you might also enjoy:

Mylo, Destroy Rock and Roll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroy_Rock_&_Roll

Carly Rae Jepsen, Emotion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotion_(Carly_Rae_Jepsen_album))

Royksopp, Melody AM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody_A.M.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Things come in cycles, and we're heading back towards the electronica of the 80s. That's not such a bad thing really.

CHVRCHES are very good, I also saw Christine and the Queens on the Glastonbury coverage and was very impressed with her:

https://youtu.be/9RBzsjga73s

Nemone Metaxas has been playing quite a bit of this by Salford Sorcerers on 6Music recently, it's very good and has the late-80s electronic sampling vibe:

https://youtu.be/n4qDA0mAdNg

Totally different, but also very similar, I reckon you might quite like Public Service Broadcasting:

https://youtu.be/XGd-MulaoGY

 

[telstarbox]

Yes, the recent Public Service Broadcasting album "The Race for Space" is brilliant.

 

[Joe19B]

Anybody interested in modern music that isn't of the boy-band/X-Factor variety would be well advised to have a listen to BBC 6 Music. They've been playing Chvrches for a while and only a few minutes ago played Public Service Broadcasting's 'London Can Take It.'

 

[northwichcat]

Anybody interested in modern music that isn't of the boy-band/X-Factor variety would be well advised to have a listen to BBC 6 Music. They've been playing Chvrches for a while and only a few minutes ago played Public Service Broadcasting's 'London Can Take It.'

There's other alternatives which have similar playlists like Absolute Radio (the old Virgin Radio), the new Virgin Radio and Radio X (formerly XFM.)

 

[backontrack]

I think that I've noticed this too, and in my opinion it's no bad thing. Much of modern music seems very similar and repetitive - it often seems like just the names of the artists change, not the actual song.

So it's nice to get some variety. Both Uptown Funk and (going back a bit) Get Lucky have both used some more distinctive sounds than usual, and they're all the better for it.

[YOUTUBE]OPf0YbXqDm0[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]5NV6Rdv1a3I[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Harbornite]

I think that I've noticed this too, and in my opinion it's no bad thing. Much of modern music seems very similar and repetitive - it often seems like just the names of the artists change, not the actual song.

So it's nice to get some variety. Both Uptown Funk and (going back a bit) Get Lucky have both used some more distinctive sounds than usual, and they're all the better for it.

I like both of those tracks, I did wonder if anyone would mention Mars because he is clearly influenced by Michael Jackson. Same goes for Justin Timberlake.

 

[dgl]

I think the thing now is that there is a big resurgence in the sales/manufacture of analogue synthesizers and that is having an effect on the sound as that was the staple for early 80's electronic music. Esp. As the price of vintage keyboards has rocketed.

You have the new sequential/tom oberheim stuff, the korg minilogue and ms20/odyssey recreations and even behringer/midas is developing an analogue synth.

This is all recreating that late 70's early 80's sound (OMD, early Depeche mode, John Foxx, Kraftwerk Etc.) and again is fashions coming around again. Just please, no mid 80's DX electric pianos please, we had enough of them in the 80's and don't need anymore.

Sent from my Lumia 625 using Tapatalk

 

[Bald Rick]

I've listened to a fair bit of CHVRCHES this year, and they remind me of one of my favourite groups of the early 90s, intastella.

 

[507021]

I like CHVRCHES and Haim, really like their music.

Royksopp, Melody AM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody_A.M.

That's one of my all time favourite albums, I'm a big fan of Royksopp.

 

[dgl]

Also the Jean Michael Jarre collaborations have been pretty good (the electronica albums, the collab. with the pet shop boys, Brick England, is particularly good.

Sent from my Lumia 625 using Tapatalk

 

[Bevan Price]

I think that I've noticed this too, and in my opinion it's no bad thing. Much of modern music seems very similar and repetitive - it often seems like just the names of the artists change, not the actual song.

So it's nice to get some variety. Both Uptown Funk and (going back a bit) Get Lucky have both used some more distinctive sounds than usual, and they're all the better for it.

It has always been the same. In the mid 1960s there were hundreds of "would-be" clones of the Beatles & Rolling Stones, etc., and also of Tamla singers / groups. Later, there were lots of Motohead clones.

More in America than in UK, there has also been a bit of a revival of 60s style Psychedelic music in the last few years.

Compare this from 1969 by Blue Cheer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTFaOxLlJCA

or Vanilla Fudge in 1968
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozzlnNRpHO4

or Iron Butterfly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDoWtqIGUjY


with much more recently, The Myrrors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcIC-V_N5RE

Dead Meadow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HejsUs-IND8

Weird Owl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rnOt7JcMWM


Oasis in the 1990s were essentially an "updated" Beatles-like sound.

I suppose that in the 2030s, there might even be revivals of the music of recent boy band & girl band music....though I won't be listening to it myself.

 

[yorkie]

Hmm.. I have a lot of catching up to do! Thanks for all the suggestions in this thread so far!

As someone who makes a living playing records...

While that'll never apply to me, I am fortunate in that my role has some scope for dabbling in this area

Yorkie, you might also enjoy:

Mylo, Destroy Rock and Roll https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destroy_Rock_&_Roll

Royksopp, Melody AM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody_A.M.

These, very much so The other one I hadn't heard of until now, but will give it a listen

... Public Service Broadcasting's 'London Can Take It.'

Wow, that's amazing. But how on earth does that video have so few views?!

 

[Tetchytyke]

Wow, that's amazing. But how on earth does that video have so few views?!

Public Service Broadcasting very niche at the moment, which is a real shame. All their stuff is fantastic, so cleverly done, cutting the videos up as well as the sampling.

I first heard of them through Tom Ravenscroft's show. He's always worth a listen, he's inherited his dad's ear for new and unsigned music.

 

[TheNewNo2]

Carly Rae Jepsen's latest album had a distinct 80s feel to it.

 

[telstarbox]

This one as well?

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2006/feb/19/shopping7

 

[Class172]

Royksopp, Melody AM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melody_A.M.

As others have said, an excellent choice this is!

Public Service Broadcasting very niche at the moment, which is a real shame. All their stuff is fantastic, so cleverly done, cutting the videos up as well as the sampling.

I first heard of them through Tom Ravenscroft's show. He's always worth a listen, he's inherited his dad's ear for new and unsigned music.

I first heard them last year when a friend was playing the Race for Space album, and quickly decided I like it. They're on in a couple of weeks at the Bluedot festival along with the likes of Jean Michel Jarre and Air, which I am looking forward to.

 

[yorkie]

Here's another one, made popular by its inclusion in the FIFA 14 computer game:

Oliver - Mechanical
[youtube]7RDRa3VXiQQ[/youtube]
(Youtube embedding may not work in all browsers but works for me in Firefox)

From the comments section:-

i like the 80's style feel this has :P but at the same time modern

That's because this was a sample taken out of The Quarks - Mechanical, which was released in 1981.

 

[Blamethrower]

Yes, the recent Public Service Broadcasting album "The Race for Space" is brilliant.

That's not very 80's influenced though is it?

freaking brilliant album mind

 

[yorkie]

Apparently New Retro Wave / Synthwave is a 'thing', and it's great!

Here's a nice, relaxing track:

Lazerhawk - So Far Away
[youtube]VXxFNqqi6tg[/youtube]


And another:
Lifelike - So Electric
[youtube]G22X5X49VhM[/youtube]

 

[Zamracene749]

Love that Lifelike track- It's making me long for my XR3i, Aviators and my youth lol

 

[D365]

Apparently New Retro Wave / Synthwave is a 'thing', and it's great!

Here's a nice, relaxing track:

Lazerhawk - So Far Away

Very pleased to find that this topic has popped up again. I'm very much a fan of New Wave, Synth and related 80s genres. Funnily enough! I've also been listening to Lazerhawk, albeit something more along the lines of Redline.

 

[FQ]

Dad showed me this not long back. It's only a month old too! It's called Texia by Blossoms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKOTl2g8xV4

 

[telstarbox]

This came out last year and also has an 80s feel - a bit Depeche Mode?

[youtube]KQlMvtMI-II[/youtube]