Izzy Perri
I discovered this musician on YouTube when they realized that I like modern musicians who play music that sounds like they are from the ’80s.
This musician has taken a lot of modern music and made it his own. He covered “Toxic” by Britney Spears and even “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers. It has a snappy chorus and catchy hooks that grip you to your very core. The synths and the drums go so well together. He shows us what it is like to be a fan of ’80s synth-wave while listening to someone current at the same time.
The world of music was changed for the better thanks to having musicians like this who share what they think the sounds should be or what they could have been.
80’s Stallone
Another modern musician who works on the nostalgia part of your brain. There are multiple songs that invoke the feeling of watching an ’80s comedy or sitcom while you are listening to a modern musician.
He shows us there are multiple different approaches to the way that we listen to music. Most of his discography does not have lyrics, but they are instrumental ballads that get you in the best mood possible.
The dancing I did to some of his songs is a testament to how great he is because I usually never dance. If something can get my head moving and my legs dancing then they are definitely worth checking out at least once or twice.
Fredo Viola
A very obscure artist but an enjoyable one. He came to fame by taking multiple pictures and making them into a music video. He then layered it with one of the most beautiful songs of the 21st century.
That may seem like an over-exaggeration but trust me, it is not. He made a song after losing both his father and his dog to cancer. It is appropriately titled “The Sad Song.” He makes other music as well but this is definitely a song worth checking out.
Viola has such passion in his voice and you are haunted by the simple melody and the near non-existent lyrics. He makes each note count. He showcases what it is like to lose two of the most important relationships a person can have. He has a few albums that deal with heartbreak, loss and misdirection. He shows us what it is like to have a heart and have the strings pulled and moved in every direction.
The world would do well to have more musicians like Fredo Viola. He makes me want to get up and dance and as I said, not much can make that happen. So when it does, it is something worth remembering.
Metronomy
It would not be a list of musicians and music without adding something from over the pond. This group has so many catchy beats and beautiful word-play that they should be showcased for the rest of time.
They show that with modern inventions and instruments that there is a world of different sounds that one can make. The world that they create — especially in their first album — is a world that has something to offer every listener. Some of their songs are moody and slow, while some are upbeat and fast and they make your heart race.
The world that this band fits in is new wave and synth-pop. It creates something in us that makes us tap our feet to the beat. You feel like you are transported back to the ’80s while listening to a band whose songs came out ten years ago at most.
There is something for everyone with this group too because they can be moody like the early days of Oasis or they can be the lifting chorus from something a more modern. They provide a landscape of different techniques that make their music stand out from any others, even in the same genre.
