A recent series of Echo & The Bunnymen reissues, a box set of The Cure rarities and countless electroclash groups indicate that renewed interest in new wave music, both past and present, is approaching full swing. Not to mention that two different Devo songs can be heard in television commercials. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to stir feelings of nostalgia or nausea?

At the forefront of what I have taken to calling the next wave (21st century post-new wave) is a quartet called stellastarr* (that’s their asterisk, not ours) and their self-titled, major-label, full-length debut on RCA. One listen to this album and you know that this band spent more than its share of time listening to The Call, The Rings and other early-to-mid 80s bands of that ilk. What’s even more amazing about this album is the way that stellastarr* makes this kind of music sound fresh and exciting and current. With a U2-esque guitar opening “In The Walls” and then followed by Shawn Christensen’s hot and cold vocals, you know that you’d better strap yourself in if you’re dancing onto this time machine. As if in a vision, I see dozens of boys and girls doing the Belinda Carlisle to “Jenny”, I see the irresistible “My Coco” becoming stellastarr*’s trademark song, I can feel the floor shaking as people all over the world jump up and down to the persistent beat of “No Weather”, I can imagine dozens of late-night parties winding down to the musical dream state of “Untitled” and dozens more parties kicking off to the sounds of “Pulp Song.”

Ima Robot comes closest to matching stellastarr*’s new-wave revival zeal on its self-titled Virgin Records debut. Mulletted lead singer Alex Ebert even sounds a bit like stellastarr*’s Christensen, while legendary drummer Joey Waronker beats the skins with a nearly unmatched ferocity. Leaning more towards a glittery and glam new wave interpretation, Ima Robot snagged my intention on rubbery numbers such as “Alive”, “A Is For Action”, “Dirty Life”, “Let’s Talk Turkey” and the undeniably snappy and paranoid bonus track “Black Jettas”.

In 2002, when I wrote about Our Constant Concern, the second full-length by the amazing duo Mates of State, I compared them to the remarkable (but short-lived) 80s new-wave trio The Human Switchboard. For me, the organ work and emotionally blasé vocals of Mates of State are directly descended from The Human Switchboard, and on Team Boo (Polyvinyl), “Team Mates” Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel reach new heights of exhilaration. The dozen songs on this album are exhilarating and timeless. No one else sounds like this and no one else should try to. My heart races when I listen to, or just think about, songs such as “Fluke”, “Whiner’s Bio”, “Middle Is Gold”, “Gotta Get A Problem”, “I Got This Feelin’” and “Ha Ha”.

My Favorite conjures a number of 80s new-wave bands such as New Order, Prefab Sprout, The Smiths and The Cure in a seemingly effortless and natural manner on the double disc set The Happiest Days of Our Lives (Double Agent). Exceptional songs such as “Homeless Club Kids”, “The Suburbs Are Killing Us”, “L=P”, “Burning Hearts”, “White Roses for Blue Girls”, “The Black Cassette”, “Badge (Grace Under Pressure)”, “Le Monster” and “James Dean (Awaiting Ambulance)”, sound like classics of the era, even though they are much more recent compositions. To quote the decidedly un-new wave Peter Allen, “Everything old is new again.”

Probably as new wave (or next wave) as a punk-revival band from Minneapolis can be, Motion City Soundtrack incorporate Moog synthesizers into the songs on its full-length debut album I Am The Movie (Epitaph). Highlights include “The Future Freaks Me Out” (with its “Will & Grace” and drum and bass rhyme and references), “My Favorite Accident”, “Don’t Call It A Comeback”, “Modern Chemistry”, “Capital H” and “Mary Without Sound”.

On Hocus Pocus (Touch and Go), New York-based Enon alternates between near electroclash next wave theatrics and garage punk. The combination is alternately exciting, as when the wobbly beats of “Shave” are followed by the snap and snarl of “The Power of Yawning” or when the sweet and sour “Candy” comes after the tasty “Daughter In The House of Fools”, and jarring, as in the case of the electro-funk shower “Monsoon” preceding the motorcycle boots crunch of “UTZ”.

Pretty Girls Make Graves takes its new wave seriously on The New Romance (Matador). From the Smiths reference of the band’s name to the nonchalance of lead vocalist Andrea Zollo’s emotionally charged vocals to the intersection of keyboards, guitars and drums, Pretty Girls Make Graves ride the next wave like seasoned surfers. Opening track “Something Bigger, Something Brighter” glows and grows on the listener. Mini-electroclash cut “Mr. Club” welcomes the listener to the narcotic chaos of “All Medicated Geniuses”. The title track sounds like a distant relative of something that Mates of State might come up with and “A Certain Cemetery” could raise the dead and tuck them in again.

Mountaineers have so much to offer that they released a self-titled EP and an album, Messy Century (Mute/Deltasonic) within months of each other. Electronic beats and loops mingle with post-pop instrumentation creating a sound that has an effect similar to the lightheadedness one experiences at high elevations. Standouts include “Ripen”, “Sewing”, “I Gotta Sing”, “Belgique Limb”, “Bom Bom” and “Apart From This”. Also consider Lake Trout, who merge an electronic next wave energy with a jam band sensibility on Another One Lost (Palm).

Synthesizers and other electronic instrumentation are key components in new wave and next wave groups. Some of these groups just want to shift into Depeche Mode mode, while others won’t be happy until they make a few Orchestral Manoeuvres in The Dark. Synth thrill-seekers would be wise to check out Oh Fantastica (Jagjaguwar) by Aspera, Rainbow Panda (Mental Monkey) by Mixel Pixel, Vintage Hi-Tech (!K7) by Spacek, and Drive (Neurodisc) by Peplab.