new wave

New Wave is a rock n' roll sub-genre that gained popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980's, due largely to its heavy presence in videos shown on MTV.

First perceived as a slightly safer, more watered-down version of punk rock, the earliest New Wave practitioners were a rag-tag bunch of roots rockers like Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, and so-called "skinny tie" bands like the Cars and the Knack.

By the eighties however, New Wave came to be an all-purpose term characterizing anything that wasn't disco or metal. New Wave came to mean everything from the retro rock of the Romantics, Joan Jett, and the Go-Gos to the synth pop of Human League, Flock Of Seagulls, and Duran Duran.

At about the same time, a new breed of fashion conscious English metal bands like Def Leppard rose to prominence, that was tagged the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (or NWOBHM), which only further confused things. By the end of the eighties, with MTV's influence in decline and new genres like grunge emerging, New Wave's prominence had begun to fade.

Today, New Wave is largely viewed nostalgically by its fans, who nonetheless continue to blog about it at sites like Lost Bands Of The New Wave Era and the New Wave Diva.

by Glen Boyd Are you a writer, passionate about this or any other topic? Join Blogcritics!

Latest blogosphere posts tagged “new wave”

• Logo #320: Men Without Hats

  
  Band Logos - Brand Upon The Brain — Authority: 110
  Designed by Monica Froeber for the bands 1980 "Folk of the 80s" release.
  20 hours ago

• 80s Extravaganza Part III

  
  Music — Authority: 146
  In the 80s a few bands crossed over from the alternative into the mainstream and one of the first to do so was The Cure.  The Cure was a odd mixture of deep base driven music with strong melodic music with a lead singer who generally sounded like he was strangling himself while singing.  The Cures lead singer and ...
  1 day ago

• 80s Extravaganza Part II

  
  Music — Authority: 146
  Back when MTV was in its infancy there were a few artists who set the tone for what music videos would become.  Michael Jackson was certainly the king of videos in the early 80s but Duran Duran wasnt far behind.   Interesting thing about Duran Duran is that while at the height of their fame they were almost known ...
  1 day ago

• Simple Minds – Someone Somewhere In Summertime

  
  too sweet for rock and roll - music birthdays blogged daily — Authority: 152
  Charlie Burchill , Scottish guitarist and keyboardist ( Simple Minds ) Tagged: Charlie Burchill, new wave, November 27 birthdays, pop, pop/rock, Simple Minds
  1 day ago

• Swype bringing ‘genius texting’ interface to Verizon Samsung Omnia II next month, Android on the way

  
  The Mobile Fun Blog — Authority: 146
  The Verizon Samsung Omnia II’s launc h isn’t going to be exciting just for Windows Mobile fans, it’s going to be exciting for anyone that’s been  to Swype’s continuous finger-motion typing interface. That’s because Verizon ( NYSE: VZ )’s Samsung Omnia II will be the first production device to support ...
  4 days ago

• These Days

  
  The Ones2Watch — Authority: 427
  Photographed by Jolijn Snijders | Model Douglas Neitzke @ Nathalie Models
  4 days ago

• Anna Karina est Une Femme

  
  Wanderlust — Authority: 488
  The Bloggomist: My Celluloid Fix Une Femme est Une Femme (1961) *** Amidst political upheaval in 1968, the city of Paris responded with a resounding no to the “authoritarian de Gaulle Republic.”  The (in)famous auteur of French New Wave, Jean-Luc Godard was recently divorced from his beautiful wife, Anna ...
  4 days ago

• Using aerospace principles to ride a wave of limitless energy

  
  Innovation Toronto — Authority: 435
  Image via Wikipedia The ocean is a potentially vast source of electric power, yet wave-energy systems are rare as they generally offer limited efficiency, must withstand battering storms, and need to be tethered to the sea floor . But by applying the principles that keep airplanes aloft, a team of aerospace ...
  4 days ago

• PoetryI did not get much sleep last night,I tossed and turned,I...

  
  Jake Cleland — Authority: 517
  Poetry I did not get much sleep last night, I tossed and turned, I woke up in a cold sweat wondering, Wondering if I’m good enough for you, When I get up in the morning, You’re the first thing I think about, And when I go to bed at night, You’re the last thing I think about, I am deeply, madly, passionately, ...
  5 days ago

• JoBoxers – Just Got Lucky

  
  too sweet for rock and roll - music birthdays blogged daily — Authority: 152
  Chris Bostock , British bassist with JoBoxers Tagged: Chris Bostock, JoBoxers, new wave, November 23 birthdays, pop, rock
  5 days ago

• Poker Players: Society’s New Celebrities

  
  gothinking.net — Authority: 152
  According to Celebrity Apprentice Joan Rivers, cards players are “beyond albescent trash.” But I look you could encounter jillions of cards fans who dissent with that assessment. In fact, cards is wildly favourite correct now and so are those who endeavor it professionally. This is evidenced by the fact that cards ...
  5 days ago

• Catching a New Wave

  
  Music — Authority: 146
  The Irish punk band, The Undertones , varied in their sound somewhat and often came across as new wave rather than the anarchic genre, but that said, they still had a good sound. This tune is called There Goes Norman :  
  5 days ago

• Avalanche of lay-offs: another 29,000 people to remain without jobs (Nine O’Clock)

  
  Adam Dicker | Domain Expert — Authority: 163
  The National Employment Agency (ANOFM) announces a new wave of layoffs for the period November 2009-April 2010. In only five months, another 29,000 persons will be laid off. The rest is here: Avalanche of lay-offs: another 29,000 people to remain without jobs (Nine O’Clock)
  5 days ago

• Talking Heads – And She Was

  
  too sweet for rock and roll - music birthdays blogged daily — Authority: 152
  Tina Weymouth , American musician ( Talking Heads , Tom Tom Club ) Tagged: art rock, new wave, November 22 birthdays, punk rock, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Talking Heads, Tina Weymouth, Tom Tom Club
  6 days ago

• 80’s Music Rules ~ Criminally Underrated Artists/ Bands ~ Fad Gadget

  
  Rave and Roll Blog — Authority: 113
  No wonder why I love nearly everything I hear from Fad Gadget – a “band” that has been featured on both David Marsden’s and Ed-FM’s streaming shows. Wikipedia  describes Fad Gadget, a pseudonym for the late Frank Tovey, as “(a)n influential British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist, (who) ...
  6 days ago

• Ripple News - M Pop Muzik, the Remix Album hits the Stores

  
  The Ripple Effect — Authority: 129
  Lets face it. There really arent too many 80s pop songs as fun as Ms "Pop Muzik." Well now, Union Square Music announces a 30th anniversary compilation celebrating a classic new wave anthem. Pop Muzik - The Remix Album compiles original versions, demos, and remixes, like Perfectos Steve Osbourne mix, one of ...
  1 week ago

• WILLSONOV GRAFICKI PROJEKT (Cro) - Demo 1984

  
  Audio heaven — Authority: 117
  Well, unfortunately I got no pics or any additional info about this band, the only thing I know is they were from Pula, and had a nice local success.This is their only demo dated 1984, and contains a relatively good recording of some 80s New Wave played in a very good way.For collectors! Tracks: 01.Vuci su pojeli ...
  1 week ago

• New Police biography called Walking on the Moon

  
  Guitar Licks — Authority: 118
  Saying that the Police were a huge 1980’s band is an understatement. The British band brought us great tunes and rocky stories about the interactions of the band members. Over the years I’ve been interested in some of these legionary battles between the guys in the band. Then today I found a Police Biography that ...
  1 week ago

• The Noisettes – Wild Young Hearts

  
  Nu-Soul Magazine — Authority: 118
  Artist: The Noisettes Title: Wild Young Hearts Label: Mercury Records Limited Genre: Alternative/Soul/Electronica When two punk-rock London rude boys met a bluesy-soul songstress with a halo of hair with ribbons of frayed and frazzled afro curls, magic was made, and their debut “What’s The Time, Mr. Wolf?” ...
  1 week ago

• Aliens Amongst Us - Part IV

  
  Music — Authority: 146
  Wow. I was very fortunate to stumble upon this audio and video mash-up of The B52s doing Planet Claire (and Rock Lobster for the first 1:40) mixed with Basement Jaxx s Get Me Off (Peaches version).
  1 week ago

Comments about new wave