Synthwave Question

So, I only just recently found out about synthwave, which from what I understand is a new(ish) music genre or sub-genre that is sort of a retro-80s recreation that at the same time has developed some of its own properties and deviated from some 80s norms. Some people have compared it to a the way one would picture an 80s movie soundtrack (Not necessarily as they actually were, but the sterotype people have looking back.). Lots of synth. Lots of percussion. Sort of an arcade/late night drive near the beach/8-bit/pastels/blade runner retro future vibe.

Some of what I've heard appeals to me and some doesn't. I may buy an FM-84 album down the line.

Anyhow my question is this:

A lot of the actual 80s bands I like include strong lead guitar and bass players, and certain types of vocalists. Asia, Toto, Genesis, Yes, The Police, Rush, etc.. The 80s output from these bands (Most of which also had albums outside the 80s that were less 80s) had a lot of 80isms like upfront steady percussion and 80s style synth and whizbang sound effects, but were also regular rock bands underneath or along with it in many ways- ultilizing 70s skills and 80s skills in a coheasive new (At the time) sound fusion. Maybe they were even more rock bands with 80s adaptions added on.

Are there any synthwave equivalents of those type of bands? Bands with similar sounds or feels? Or are they kind of too much outside the type of elements synthwave is trying to bring forward?

If there are some synthwave bands that are kind of similar, what are their names?

One thing I've noticed is that some synthwave has no vocals at all, and when synthwave does have vocals, they tend to sound more like some more recent popular music and less like the vocals on the 80s output of the bands I mentioned. I'm not sure clicking around a bit online and hearing samples and videos has given me a complete overview, though. ;)

I guess I'm looking for vocals like the bands above (Or just vocals that sound like they could be classic rock) bands as well as more lead and bass guitar than the major examples of synthwave I've heard so far, but I am not sure its that simple. If you know those bands' 80s albums, you may know what I am talking about better than I can express it.

Submitted January 21, 2020 at 02:49AM by CharmCityCrab https://ift.tt/2G68ZLw