The biggest appeal of music in the 80s to me is how raw, creative, and genuine a lot of it feels. It was an explosion of new ideas and new technology, as well as regional booms in underground music, and newly formed indie labels harboring any bands or artists who wanted to do something new. There was political unrest and anxiety, as well as the splintering of punk into new genres.

My issue with a lot of more modern indie stuff (not to say that I don't enjoy any of it) is how polished and commercial much of it feels in comparison, to my ears at least. I understand where that comes from and why that may be the case. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that either.

I understand your complaints about the production values, and I think it was definitely a barrier when I first started listening to 80s stuff. In my experience, your ears adjust to it over time.

I'm not going to say that one is better than the other, and I'm probably one of the most vocal advocates for total subjectivity... But I just thought I'd offer my perspective as well. I doubt I'm much older than you, or at all, and I didn't live through the 80s.