I'm looking to find some modern bands that have a 80's sound to them, something along the lines of Tears for Fears or The Police and not 80's metal.

I've tried to create my own 80's Pandora/Slacker stations in the hopes of finding new music, but they just end up playing 100% true 80's.

Any suggestions?

Maybe not what you're looking for, but the new Goldfrapp album sounds like a lost Olivia Newton John album from 1982.

Some Fountains of Wayne songs have an 80's-like sound.

There's roughly one squadillion bands that have taken 80's synth pop and resold it to kids that haven't heard the originals, but I don't think that's what you're looking for.

That cover looks like it's meant for Xanadu.
Nope.

The Sounds : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sounds

From Wiki: "The Sounds is a Swedish New Wave band from Helsingborg. The group's musical style has been compared to New Wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons."

One of their songs was used in a Geico Cavemen commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwWfU18boOI

I saw them in concert last year when they opened up for No Doubt. That's how I discovered them.

She Wants Revenge

They sound like they really, really want to be Bauhaus

Dude, that totally nailed it; it's like Olivia Newton John, Laura Brannigan, and Giorgio Moroder came back in a time machine.

Listening to it some more, they used the "voice" preset from the Casio SK-1 on "I wanna life."

Shiny Toy Guns also has an 80s sound.

Their music also appears in a commercial for Lincoln with their cover of Major Tom: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGult...eature=related

It's essentially Xanadu 2 and I imagine the entire thing was recorded in roller skates. And I love it.

Well, since you're askin....my perpetual musical goal is to make the best album of 1982. Some say I'm musically stunted and stuck in the 80's--I say I'm just focused! "A Certain Something" is one of my better songs, I think---kinda lo-fi, but you might like my stuff:

http://www.myspace.com/atlanticavox

Shoot me a PM and I'll send you a free CD (cause I sure as hell ain't sellin' many).

Also, a couple of my pals:

Whyte Market. Especially check out the song "The Devil Stormed Providence"---it's a great tune, sounding a bit like Elvis Costello singing for the Police or the Clash, and "Dainty Davie", a great Kinks/Jam sounding tune:

http://www.myspace.com/whytemarket


The Gothic Rangers. Would have fit right in with early REM, Long Ryders, etc. "Shadow Girls" is an AWESOME single.

http://www.myspace.com/thegothicrangers

Oh, another friend--Swiss band Twilight Empire. I LOVE their song Marybeth:

http://www.myspace.com/twilightempireband

The Killers were the most obvious to me.

This is a good call too. Probably the closest you'll be able to get. To piggy back on that I'd also say Boy Kill Boy. (A few years old now, but their first album is effing awesome!)

I think these guys have recently broken up, but they've got a great late 70's, early 80's sound:

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I think Does It Offend You, Yeah have a pretty 80s sound going on.

Listened to the following on Youtube:

1) Shiny Toy Guns "Ghost Town": a little too hard rock for me.
2) The Sounds "Living in America": one to look into a bit more.
3) Goldfrapp "Rocket": was never a Newton fan
4) Boy Kill Boy: also another to look into

I loved all of "Hot Fuss", but other than "When We Were Young", I haven't cared for The Killers since.

Try Out:

Annie - Don't Stop
La Roux - La Roux

I haven't been able to stop spinning those for almost a year now.

Hot Chip

The Knife

M83's Saturdays=Youth album

Fischerspooner

Cut Copy

And if you really want something that sounds like Tears for Fears, maybe try Blue October?

I guess "vintage Springsteen" isn't the sound you're after, but if so, these guys are pretty damn close (super album, by the way):

this sounds like it to me

If you consider that hard rock, I can't imagine what you would call real hard rock. I guess you might not like The Faint. They have an 80s synth rock sound: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3rzUVAHVd4

Radio 4 and Bloc Party both remind me of Gang of Four.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs 'Zero' sounds just like Berlin.

some tracks I can think of that are very 1980's that haven't been mentioned (yes, I agree that Goldfrapp's new one is so 1982 it hurts... and I love it!). All should be easy to find on YouTube.

Hot Chip "One Life Stand"
The Bravery "An Honest Mistake"
Del Marquis "Character Assassination" (he's a member of Scissor Sisters but has a part-time solo career)
Nelly Furtado "Maneater" (even though most of her songs off that album were very modern sounding, this track is like a teleportation back to 1984 pop when you get to the chorus. She even said she and Timbaland were listening to a lot of Cyndi Lauper when working on this song)

I was coming back to recommend this as well. Maybe not the entire album, but you should check out at least Dawn of the Dead, Being Bad Feels Pretty Good, and Epic Last Song.

Chairlift might be worth a listen. I liked their single "Bruises" but when I heard them live I was almost taken aback on how 80's they sounded.