Talk about nerds....those death metal goons
look like off-the-chart wankers.
My comment was that mentioning Polysics without mentioning Devo is a bit culturally myopic, just as is citing Funkadelic without giving props to Sly & The Family Stone.
My answer to the topic question is I.R.S.-era R.E.M. and the aforementioned reason to justify this response is as follows:
With a little help from their artist friends like Jim Herbert and the Reverend Howard Finster, they established their own distinct image. As such, they successfully avoided the preening pitfalls of the MTV eighties hit-making machine.
I feel it is a thoughtful reply that is concise, clear and correct. In other words, it's anathema to most here.
"Harborcoat" from "Left of Reckoning"
(early R.E.M. at Paradise Gardens captured by Jim Herbert's innovative re-filming technique)