Del Amitri are a band from Scotland who started in the early '80s, an unfashionable folk-rock-pop group who scored a minor hit in 1989 with "Kiss This Thing Goodbye." Their sound was just right for the '90s, though, and their biggest hits "Always The Last To Know" and "Roll To Me" fit perfectly beside bands like Counting Crows and The Wallflowers.
Singer/songwriter Justin Currie has perfected that slightly rustic acoustic guitar/organ sound, with occasional strings, that always feels like sitting on the back porch while the Autumn leaves fall. He is second to none in whatever subgenre that is.
Pseudo Echo were an Australian band whose first release was a lush synth album with a sound similar to Ultravox or Visage. It was a minor hit in their home country and was quickly followed up by a similar-sounding album, Love An Adventure, which became a huge hit. Their record label then made them re-record the catchiest tunes from those 2 albums in a more direct pop rock style, adding a cover of the '70s hit Funky Town. The result was released internationally as Love An Adventure and became a huge hit.
Their next album, Race, leaned more into the pop rock sound but the label did no promotion for it outside their native land and they broke up a couple years later. They reemerged nearly a decade later, returning to a synth pop sound and have played their homeland sporadically ever since.
Rowland S Howard began in The Boys Next Door, which turned into The Birthday Party. He even wrote their most well-known song, "Shivers," which was sung by Nick Cave. After the BD Party broke up, he joined Crime & The City Solution, then formed his own group, These Immortal Souls, while also releasing solo albums. Howard was known for his dark, distorted guitar tone, influencing the likes of Swans and Sonic Youth. He passed away in 2009.
Tom Waits - the man, the myth, the legend. It's kind of similar to the way I view Dylan - you can dislike the voice or particular periods of their career, but you just can't ignore the songs. And both are master craftsmen in that category. Looking back over Waits' body of work, it seems that he sticks with a certain sound for about 3 albums, then moves on to something new. And that ain't easy to do while still maintaining the high quality of tunes.
Here's one by request! [albeit probably requested years ago] Devo were true innovators in style and sound and helped introduce quirkiness to the image of New Wave music, making it okay, or even preferable, to market your style, the weirder the better.
Another staple on College Rock radio in the '80s, CVB were the consummate band of Smart Alecs - from their name, to the album titles, to the often leftfield/surrealist lyrics.
Guadalcanal Diary hailed from Georgia and often had "jangly" guitars, so they couldn't escape comparisons to REM. They were reasonably popular on College Radio, but never did breakthrough to the mainstream and folded in 1989.
Midge Ure's career has been stunningly successful and yet, his profile outside of the UK has been relatively under the radar. In 1979/80, he was the singer/songwriter of Ultravox, songwriter/keyboard player in Visage, and guitarist for Thin Lizzy(!). He also co-wrote Band Aid's huge single "Do They Know It's Christmas (Feed the World)" and helped organize Live Aid with Bob Geldof. Oh, and he's done quite a bit of solo work, to boot!
Long-running Aussie band, Hoodoo Gurus, have a knack for pop melodies, rock music, and a quirky sense of humor. They're still around, too, recently having done a worldwide trek.
