Minimal Wave/Minimal Synth recommendations

Here's another set of classic albums to get into this niche genre mentioned in my last vid. Again, the first 3 are my favorites.

Oppenheimer Analysis have some of the catchiest songs in the genre. They have a love for sci-fi and their lyrics often center around the cold war. Devil's Dancers and Subterranean Desire are the catchiest tracks on the album.

Ensemble Pittoresque is a Dutch group. Very quirky, eccentric vocal delivery with often philosophical lyrics. Their album, For This is Past, is what led to my love for vintage drum machines.

Solid Space have a very charming home-made sound. The album cover for space museum encapsulates its retro-futuristic vibe well. Has more guitar than the 2 prior albums but with a clean, stripped-down tone. Tenth Planet is the most listened-to track. My favorites are A Darkness in My Soul and Spectrum is Green. Also has nice instrumental tracks such as Afghan Dance and The Guests.

The Human League is probably the most popular band on here, because while their first album is a relatively esoteric and experimental minimal synth classic, they would go on to release much more commercial-sounding synthpop, most famously the single Don't You Want Me (which has 530 million listens on Spotify).

Suicide, with their self-titled album, is probably the most harrowing listen on this list. The only American album on here, hailing from post-industrial New York. It intersects with genres like industrial and synth punk, and was in fact one of the earliest acts to use the term "punk" to describe their music. I talk about them in my video on Deleuze and drum machines. The songs are mainly limited to vocals, pounding repetitive drum machines, and a distorted organ. While tracks like Ghost Rider and Cheree are relatively catchy, the most impactful track for me is Frankie Teardrop, 10 bleak minutes of working-class despair which ends in murder, suicide, and screaming.

In contrast, Young Marble Giants have a gentle sound - female vocals, clean guitars, drum machines and mellow synths - which was influential in the development of the "indie" sound.

I hope you discover something new you like through this list. Let me know if you do.

Thank you for all the kind feedback on my last video and music!