New Wave / Coldwave / Synthpop / Minimal Wave / Minimal Synth - New Romantic and Post-Punk are fine, too.

I love Tom Tom Club! You beat me to it. I remember first seeing the video for Genius of Love 12 years ago between midnight and 2am on MTV's 120 minutes. I was a teenager when nu metal, pop punk and emo were dominating the charts, so it was worth staying up for something a bit different. The sketchy doodle animation on the video is great. JAAAMEEESS BROOOWWWNNNN!!! And I love the dog.

Ultravox were a British synthpop/new wave group formed in 1976.

The cheesiness levels of this song are off the charts. I mean that in the best way possible.

This one goes out to all the Viennese Kiwi Farmers

 
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I first heard of Tom Tom Club from VH1's Top 100 One Hit Wonders From the 80's special when I was around 11 or 12. I realized Genius of Love sounded familiar, and that's when Mariah Carey's Fantasy was mentioned. Aha moment! The animation in the music video reminds me of Schoolhouse Rock.

I used to hate the 80's because my understanding of it was mostly hair metal, cliche RnB, and cheesy ballads. The whole era in general felt too manufactured, corny and over-the-top (and it was in many ways.) Discovering 80's new wave synthpop, post-punk, gothic rock, jangle pop and alternative rock in middle and high school is what made me realize how much great shit was made during that time.

The Waitresses were a short lived new wave/post-punk band formed by Chris Butler in 1977. They're mostly known for their charting one hit wonder I Know What Boys Like. I never cared for it myself, but it's their signature song so I'm posting it anyway:


Don't let the single fool you. They actually composed a lot of cool shit. It's a shame that stupid song is mostly what they're known for. Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? has a lot of hidden gems.

Cool, funky, ska inspired new wave. I really like the ska influenced new wave stuff myself:


One of their more post-punky sounding songs and a favorite of mine:


More post-punky, ska influenced fun:


From their second and final album, Bruiseology:



One of their earlier works before they released their first studio album:


They have some misses and tried too hard at times, but they had their moments and they're overlooked for sure. Patty Donahue was the perfect choice to deliver their sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek lyrics. R.I.P. The Waitresses were just all around glib, irreverent fun.
 
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The Car's 1978 self-entitled album is their best work and one of my favorites of the genre. It is power pop-y new wave/synth pop perfection.

Everyone knows Just What I Needed. What a classic:


My favorite The Cars song is Moving in Stereo. It compliments their song All Mixed Up very well, as demonstrated here:


The ultimate summer pool party/road trip record.
 
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Funny you should mention The Waitresses, I listened to their albums for the first time this Christmas after hearing their Christmas Wrappings song on the radio. I hear it just about every year, but her bored sounding vocals and the talented musicians made me decide to check out their other stuff.

Unfortunately, the first song I heard after that was I Know What Boys Like. It was so annoying in a so good it's bad kinda way. Some of the comments on the video were praising it for being a feminist anthem if I remember correctly... /cringe. Another comment called the bass player a young Oprah, lol.

The weird music video (specifically the part with the sax player) and the funky beat made me decide to try some more. You're right that some of it's hit or miss, mostly hit for me.

It's interesting to hear their earliest material like The Comb. It's got a much more 70's rock sound than new wave, and vocal duties being shared between Patty and one of the guys in the band. Would have been interesting to hear more in that style.

Another good one from their first album full of sexual innuendo mixed with technical stuff.

Cool music video from their second album.
 
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Wall of Voodoo were an interesting experimental New Wave band formed in Los Angeles in 1977.




 
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Earlier Ultravox, with John Foxx as vocalist, had more of an Eno/Bowie sound. Which makes sense since Eno produced their debut album, which contained this beauty:


Once Midge Ure took over vocals, they became more synthy and arch, more European and less London. I always wished for an extended remix of this one:

 
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Suburban Lawns were a weird, quirky new wave/post punk band formed in California in 1978.

They've got demented surf rock songs
Demented love songs (when she says "He'S mY BoYfRiEnd!" it reminds me of classic Ali Rapp lolcow days).
Here's Janitor live. Su Tissue was really out of this world. Standing there stiff as a board dressed like an autistic librarian, singing in a weird accent, making faces and doing that crazy cartoon voice. Spawned the iconic line "I'm a janitor, oh my genitals!"
They had a guy in the band sing on some of their songs as well. Ska flavored new wave.
More of the guy singing. Really this band is all over the place in the best of ways.
It's a shame they didn't release more. Just one album and a few LPs. They were very talented musicians. I don't think they took themselves very seriously. They had that detached, ironic sense of humor. After the band split Su did some minor acting gigs in a few TV shows/movies then vanished into thin air.
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In short, this band is weird as fuck. They have the WEEDle stamp of approval. Check 'em out!
 
We’re two pages in and there’s been no mention of Tears for Fears? Shame on yall.
(Head over Heels is my fav song from em)
 
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Thomas Dolby's Golden Age of Wireless is a synthpop gem of an album from beginning to end. It has as collaborators Andy Partridge, Lene Lovich and Daniel Miller of The Normal (T.V. O.D. and Warm Leatherette) and also founder of Mute Records



 
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Gang of Four were an English post punk group formed in 1977. Their earlier stuff is post punk, after a while they shifted into new wave territory.

It's their earlier, late seventies early eighties stuff I'm more familiar with and prefer, so I'll be posting that, but all of their stuff is worth checking out. I'll post some live stuff since it's good quality.

Funky post punk

Funky new wave

Herky jerky post punk



 
Modern English is a new wave/post punk band formed in 1979. Their first album, 1981's Mesh and Lace, is post punk with gothic overtones.


Then there's the new wave they're best known for, from their second album, 1982's After the Snow

 
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