recommend bands using synths and normal instruments in a balanced way

please suggest some music i might like that is interesting in it's choice of instrumentation.

An obvious example from the past is roxy music, using a mix of horn, violin, electric guitar and synth. They created a sound or mix of sounds that was fun at one level simply by virtue of that strange mix, but then they were interesting on so many levels. They wrote good music imo.

Where are the roxy music bands of today ? OK if they use synths for rhythm or texture or whatever they use them for, that's cool, just as long as they don't use synths/ electronics for everything.

Some interesting music that is not just electronic.

a balanced way, and y'know obscure if possible (= something i might not have heard of hopefully), old or new

btw fiddo, thanks for your suggestions re: Herbie Hancock and his band + Dr. Gleason in that other thread, which is exactly the sort of maybe unknown but really interesting music i want more of. I'm just getting into that hancock stuff. i wish they'd recorded more pieces instead of breaking up.

Not only are they using both synths and guitars, but they also blend elements of rock with elements of dance in an interesting and effective way.

IF you're looking for 'serious' music with avant-garde credentials they're not for you, though...

they were a guitar band with synths for texture and bass, the balance changing depending on which phase numan, i'm told. i used to think that his lyrics were a bit naff, all this sci-fi dystopia stuff. reading the lyrics to "down in the park" surpirised me a bit, but it's still a cover for s/m cruising ain't it ?

i really enjoyed seeing numan's live show in 1982, where he used that disco floor technology with synchronised colours as a backdrop (ie he simply stuck it on the wall), with each song having it's own colour scheme. the colours were really well paced.

One of the few things I do like about music as of the new millenium is that "Disco sucks" seems to either been seriously dimmed or just warped and frapped to all hell (or heaven).

Otherwise, follow the other people's suggestions and include any of George Clinton family (mainly due Bernie Worrell) especially Warship Touchante by the Brides of Funkenstein.

How about Devo? There's always been alot of guitars in their music as well as synths, but they'll always be seen as a synth band I guess.

My Bloody Valentine used/uses(?) alot of synths, samplers, etc. in addition to their trademark guitar, but I suppose that's common knowledge.

possibly, since there's a better chance i haven't heard of them -- eg if i'd been asked this qn. the the first three Devo albums would have leapt into my mind, but it's those weirder moments from music history like Neil Young's Trans and TGs limited output that has had me thinking about this for a while.

i guess i'd also have a beef about too much off-the-shelf obvious generic synth in the music of today as though it's replaced the mandatory guitar solo, if you're looking for some meta-question. i like elctronic music, some pure elctronic music, but i think technologys value has been diluted or over-played in so much music of the 'noughties, be it pop, indie, avant, everywhere.

*prepares to be slapped*

by 1984, the analog to digital thing had already happened (eg Voltage Controlled Oscillator became Digitally Contolled scillator) and the semi-digital chorus effect was big too (eg phil collins).
the early MIDI synths remind me of simple bland timbres generated using the much less sophisticated early user interfaces most of those instruments had, so much less opportunities for on-the-fly experimention.

the evidence of recent synth bands preference for pre-MIDI synths seems to confirm the differences to me

is this sorta what yer looking for, george?

"The band eschews some of the more traditional rock equipment in favor of allowing harpsichord, slide guitar, and cello to sit alongside obscure bits like the Dynachord, Nordlead, and synthesizers that sound as though they were lifted from warped Prince LPs."

have investigated six finger sattelite -- i think they're a bit too heavy and maybe just too 2D for me

and thank you for the Unwound link Jon -- while i like rock music, i love good recordings of analog xor esoteric instruments, especially realistic recordings of cathedral organs -- organs are like the precursors to synths in some ways, so i've always enjoyed music that included a decent-sized well-recorded beast (and even Van der Graff's parallel universe of hot-customised electric organs)

but these guys Unwound, they have their own studio and so have spent time on things, sometimes such an advantage, and the review reads like a wet-dream that i will have to consummate (buy), even if the drumming/vocals do prove bothersome.
That review reminds me of the advance reviews i read for those great albums by Biota, the Biota sound with that attention to rich recording spaciousness. The thing which excited me about Biota was that i had no idea and couldn't imagine how Biota actually made their sound, that and the greatness of that music.

generally, thank you people for the suggestions so far -- i'll try to think up some of my own