Alphaville

• Genre: Synth Pop
• Hometown: Berlin

About

In the mid-1980s, getting through high school without listening to Alphaville's "Forever Young" was about as difficult a feat as getting through high school without a pimple. While many German dance bands of the era pursued the EBM course, Alphaville coolly waltzed along, playing swooning, romantic Synth Pop in the tradition of Roxy Music and Ultravox. Marian Gold's preening vocals provided the lush backdrop to many an evening of teen whoopee. During the '90s, Alphaville of course attempted to reinvent themselves with a string of "mature" albums that only succeeded in pointing out their irrelevance. But hey, wasn't it grand while it lasted?

- Chad Driscoll