Synthpop
Depeche Mode - Violator (1990)
If I had to pick just one Depeche Mode album as representative of their music (and of the genre), it would have to be Violator. When someone asks me what kind of music I like, I sometimes start with this song because most people will have heard it at some point. It’s hard to overstate how influential Depeche Mode is, even far beyond the “synthpop” label.
Erasure - I Say I Say I Say (1994)
Erasure is (and probably always will be) my most-listened-to artist on Last.fm. It’s difficult to choose just one album, let alone just one representative song from that album (they’re still going strong today after all these years), but I’ll go with I Say I Say I Say. Incidentally, Vince Clarke, who formed this band, also formed Depeche Mode and Yaz/Yazoo. So I guess he is directly or indirectly responsible for like one-third of the music I listen to.
Pet Shop Boys - Very (1993)
I’m tempted to choose “Go West” as the representative song here but it’s a Village People cover so I figured I should go with something original instead. (The first thing I ever heard by them was “Always on My Mind,” an Elvis Presley cover.)
–
I was going to list several more artists (I could go on all day), but these albums are probably enough for someone unfamiliar with the genre to know whether it’s for them.