HAPPY BIRTHDAY

There’s a gritty innocence to this 1981 debut album, which blends frenetic pop with droning postpunk. The latter’s a product, perhaps, of the band’s early association with Siouxsie & The Banshees (this album was mostly produced by Banshees guitarist Steven Severin). The little-girl tic and jagged quirks of singer Clair Grogan’s voice are a blessing, as they create alluring juxtapositions to the music, like on the darker “Midnight,” “A Days Wait,” and “Love and Kisses.” It’s also weirdly hypnotic (listen to the nursery-rhyme simple “Idols”). It’s no surprise that the heart-rending title tune became an enduring birthday wish to anyone.

The album Happy Birthday bears little resemblance to the cute and bubbly new wave pop of the title track, for which they're best remembered.