The B-52s, OMD, Berlin

As ’80s nostalgia package tours go, this one’s pretty all right. The B-52s’ party-centric new wave has influenced thousands of bands, enshrining them in rock’s canon. Who knew B-movie kitsch could endure so long in a musical context? OMD are masters of immaculately produced and arranged synth-pop, with emotion-laden melodies to swoon for. These poised Brits have influenced nearly as many artists as the B-52s—although not as many as their major inspiration, Kraftwerk. Berlin’s music typifies the romantic and alienated electro-pop that burgeoned on the West Coast during the Reagan era, and a lot of people like it. “Metro” still slaps.