Vienna came out in July 1980, and it's a real turning point for Ultravox - their fourth studio album, but the first with Midge Ure at the helm after John Foxx left to go solo. It was also their first record for Chrysalis, and while it took a little while to catch on commercially, the title track's release as a single the following January turned the whole thing into a genuine breakthrough, sending the band worldwide and cementing this as the lineup most people think of when they hear the Ultravox name.

It's a fascinating mix of styles - moody, synth-driven art pop sitting alongside proper guitar rock and some genuinely Kraftwerk-inspired electronic moments, all held together by a kind of grand, orchestral romanticism thanks to strings and viola woven through several tracks. Producer Conny Plank gives it a cold, European sheen that suits the mood perfectly, but there's real warmth and melody underneath it too. It's one of those records that helped define the whole new romantic sound without ever feeling like it's chasing a trend.

The title track Vienna is obviously the big one, all dramatic piano and that unforgettable, minimal drumbeat, and it's aged into a genuine classic. Sleepwalk is a brilliant, propulsive opener as a single, while New Europeans has a real driving energy to it that still sounds surprisingly modern. Astradyne kicks the album off in style too, a lengthy, wordless instrumental that's a bold way to open a record. It's the kind of album that captures a band right at the point of reinventing themselves, and that mix of ambition and genuine songcraft is exactly why it still holds up as a proper synth-pop landmark.