Psychedelic Furs Responsible for Much of the Style Found in Modern Rock

I've always been a little annoyed with the tiny shades of variation between related genres like alternative rock, modern rock, college rock and post-punk. After all, some of that fuss always feels a bit like an unnecessary process of splitting hairs. On the other hand, splitting hairs is one of the favorite pastimes of music obsessives everywhere, and I'm certainly no exception there. Still, the interesting thing about the revered English '80s rock band Psychedelic Furs is that the group perfectly represents both the variances and intersections of each of those genres. Throughout their consistent and impressive '80s career, the Furs spanned guitar-heavy punk, synthesized new wave, angular post-punk, elegant pop and mainstream rock nearly without effort, almost always presenting their wares in the form of carefully composed songs and precise, spirited performances. Frontman Richard Butler and guitarist John Ashton remain two of the decade's most underrated stylists, and although given plenty of attention as alternative rock has developed over the years, the band exerts a massive sphere of influence still today that never seems to get its due. Check out my profile of the Psychedelic Furs to get a start on changing that slight for good.

More Psychedelic Furs Resources

• Top 9 Psychedelic Furs Songs of the '80s
• Psychedelic Furs Fan Site