Wow ! That's a Lot of Stuff - LOL !!
Okay for Alternative Rock - Anything by R.E.M.
For New Wave ??
umm...
The Most Important New Wave - was really in the late-70's to early-80's.
So, I cannot in good conscience "divide" that Remarkable Genre into an 80's-only Answer - Their is just Not Enough...
So Be It...
..1. "Definitive Gaze" ( Magazine ) from album "Real Life" - 1978
( the First Song from the Epitome of The New Wave )
..2. "The Other Window" ( Wire ) from "154" - 1979
( While WIRE's First 2 Albums were Post-Punk -- This... Their Third is Precise NEW WAVE as it Explores the Attrocities of Daily Life -- and Shoves Our Faces into the Inescapability of the Law of what we don't want to Experience -- Actually was the Most Influential album to the New Romance and the Band, "Joy Division" )
..3. "I Zimbra" ( Talking Heads ) from "Fear of Music" - 1979
( The Heads take a New Direction under Robert Fripp after already changing directions on the previous album under Brian Eno )
..4. "Found a Job" ( Talkng Heads ) from "More Songs About Buildings and Food" - 1978
( The best track from The Heads, New Direction under under Brian Eno )
..5. "Puppet Life" ( Punishment of Luxury ) from "Laughing Academy" - 1979
( landmark album by the true Heretics of Religion in Music and the LOUDEST Guitars ever recording at this time )
..6. "Beachy Head" ( Throbbing Gristle ) from "20 Jazz Funk Greats" - 1980
( controversial band's 3rd album of various, new experiments in music )
..7. "Are Friends Electric?" ( Tubeway Army ) from "Replicas" - 1979
( Best Track from a New Approach to Keyboard and Guitar Sounds )
..8. "Airlane" ( Gary Numan ) from "The Pleasure Principle" - 1979
( The Album that "Waved the Green Flag" for the "Cold Wave" )
..9. "Slow Motion" ( Ultravox ) from "Systems of Romance" - 1979
( Most Powerful Electronic Rock Track of it's Day )
10. "Astradyne" ( Ultravox ) from "Vienna" - 1980
( Not the best Album, but an Inspiring Electronic Opening -- from the Band that lost its Leader - John Foxx - and was replaced by the less competent Midge Ure )
11. "Blah Blah Magazines" ( Gruppo Sportivo ) from "Mistakes" - 1979
( Leave it to the Dutch to beat us to the Punch on Social-Observation Songs, written with such tightness and brilliance and In-English )
12. "Jocko Homo" ( Devo ) from "Q: Are We Not Men"
( This band from Akron, Ohio, gave Interview to Frightened Critics about their Sincere Belief in the De-Evolotion of Mankind - A Joke, Of Course. Only Their First Album is New Wave )
13. "Planet Clare" ( The B-52's ) from "The B-52's - 1979
( Remove 2 Guitar strings and start playing riffs reminiscent of an Ed Wood Movie and You have the Spirit and Originality of The B-52's )
14. "Home" ( Lene Lovich ) from "Stateless" - 1978
( First Track of the Diva who sings "Boops & Beeps" like an Electronic Instrument - and wonderful arrangement as if the Soviet National Choir was backing her up ( She was British, btw ))
15. "Dog Eat Dog" ( Adam & the Ants ) from Kings of the Wild Frontier - 1981
( Opening Track from an Original Sounding Band {though they stole their Drumming Ideas from "Bow Wow Wow"} - cut and Amazingly Fresh Sound & Clever Approach )
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I'm sorry Gorgon - I had really planned to get far into the 80's, but only 2 bands Truly were NEW WAVE that continued -- Siouxsie & the Banshees - and - Public Image, Ltd. ( whose whole catalogue up to 1988 is worth Listening to)
Despite what Wikipedia "claims" -- New Wave was Really a very "BRIEF" Musical Period.
The Other bands, that played at that time were either, Punk (Buzzcocks), Post-Punk (Wire's 1st 2 albums), New Romance (Joy Division), Power-Pop (The Knack, Elvis Costello, The Romantics), & Synthpop (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Depeche Mode)
A lot of these Bands were Playing when New Wave was at its Peak - OR - were Heavily Influenced by it -- The Same Way that Blues influenced Blues-Rock.
But New Wave ?? -- No.
New Wave was about --
Ripping The Head off of Music's "Rip Van Winkle"
Yet, with more complexity than Punk;
But more like early 70's Progressive Music - Trying to find a New Path ------ Away from the HumDrum Commonness of 4/4 Rock.
.
Depressing to see this :(
As WIRE says in Indirect Enquiries --
"you'd been defaced"
At 1:40 AM EDT US - 2 Stools were left at my Door by "Acts of the REACTIVE MIND"
They cannot be helped - It is their "Wiring" that Compelled
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However,----V
They have been recorded - For now I have no access - For Now
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