>> Television

Formed by Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell, Television drew on avante-garde bands such as the Velvet Underground when crafting its arty, poetry-driven sound. With thin guitars and fairly complex arrangements, Television would grow up alongside the New York punk scene, though its approach would differ greatly from the wild strains of punk rock. Hell would leave soon after the band’s inception, to form the Heartbreakers and then the Voidoids, though Television would continue its arty, yet in-your-face attitude, on later albums. After a long breakup, the band would reform in 1993, though would still continue to achieve popular success to match its critical popularity.