Belouis Some

Belouis Some had 2 songs from their debut, "Imagination" and "Some People," that got heavy radio play.  They eeked out another 2 albums before disappearing to the dust bin.  "Imagination," in particular, still ends up on 80s compilations, probably due to it sounding very much like poppier side of The Cure.

Shriekback

Alt Goth Funk?  Shriekback are cool, sublime, sometimes dancey, sometimes dark.

Crazy House

Crazy House were poised for big things in 1987, with their major label debut coming after 2 LPs of quirky Alt Rock.  Their song "Burning Rain" started getting some buzz on Alt and AOR stations... and then they just collapsed, reappearing in 1989 under a different name and a reworked version of "Burning Rain" called "Perfect Crime" before disappearing into the forgotten bin.

Joan Jett (and the Blackhearts)

I say: Joan. You say: Jett. I say: Joan. You say: Jett. I say: Joan. You say: Jett.

Suicide

I hope when I say it's a good night for Suicide, it isn't taken the wrong way. Alan Vega passed away this year, maybe lost among the larger celebrity names. Or perhaps he was never going to be lauded by the mainstream anyway. No matter. They started dark, minimal and gritty... and never really changed much. Why would they?

Sa Dingding

Sa Dingding is often described as the "Chinese Bjork" and that could be an apt description, not because she sounds like Bjork, but because her unique vocals are often otherworldly.  And her music is also characterized by ever-shifting styles.  Some of SD's music verges on techno-pop, while at other times it is more organic, utilizing acoustic instruments.  But whether singing in Mandarin, Tibetan, or her own made up languages, it is definitely Chinese in sound and vision.

Juno Reactor

Juno Reactor is the long-running project from Ben Watkins, who kicked off his musical career collaborating with Youth.  JR started as a pretty straight trance act but much like Banco de Gaia, elements of world musics infiltrated and changed the music into something totally different, although recent albums have seen a return to a more trance-heavy sound.