New Wave
During the late '70s and early '80s,
New Wave was a catch-all term for the music that directly
followed punk rock; often, the term encompassed punk itself, as well.
In retrospect, it's became clear that the music that followed punk
could be divided, more or less, into two categories -- post-punk and
new wave. Where post-punk was arty, difficult and challenging, new wave
was pop music, pure and simple. It retained the fresh vigor and
irreverence of punk music, as well as a fascionation with electronics,
style, and art. Therefore, there was a lot of styistic diversity to new wave.
It meant the nervy power-pop of bands like XTC and Nick Lowe, but it
also meant synth-rockers like Gary Numan, or rock revivalists like
Graham Parker and Rockpile. There were edgy new wave songwriters like
Elvis Costello, pop bands like Squeeze, tough rock & rollers like
the Pretenders, pop-reggae like the Police, mainstream rockers like
the Cars and ska-revivalists like the Specials and Madness. As important
as these major artists were the countless one-hit wonders that emerged
during early new wave. These one-hit groups were as diverse as the major
artists, but they all shared a love of pop hooks, modernist, synthesized
production and a fascination for being slightly left of center. By the
early '80s, new wave described nearly new pop/rock artist, especially
those that used synthesizers like the Human League and Duran Duran.
New wave received a boost in the early '80s by MTV, who broadcast
endless hours of new wave videos in order to keep themselves on the
air. Therefore, new wave got a second life in 1982, when it probably
would have died out. Instead, 1982 and 1983 were boom years for polished,
MTV-radio new wave outfits like Culture Club, Adam Ant, Spandau Ballet,
Haircut 100, and A Flock of Seagulls. New wave finally died out in 1984,
when established artists began to make professional videos and a new crop
of guitar-oriented bands like the Smiths and R.E.M. emerged to capture the
attention of college-radio and underground rock fans. Nevertheless,
new wave proved more influential than many of its critics would have
suspected, as the mid-'90s were dominated by bands -- from Blur to Weezer --
that were raised on the music.
http://www.allmusic.com/
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