The rest of the countdown, here are 5 through 1.

5. The Church
The Church is a band I think I underappreciate. Apparently they're on their 25th album, which is formidable, but I keep coming back to Starfish and Gold Afternoon Fix. "Under the Milky Way" is inescapable, but I really like "Reptile". Lately "The Unguarded Moment" has been resonating--it's almost what I wish Joy Division had lived to become.

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4. Hoodoo Gurus
Grossly underrated in America, this is a band that has climbed in my estimation over the years. Perhaps they were limited by the fact that even with long hair and a psychedelic shirt Dave Faulkner looks like a cross between a tech support guy and Elijah Wood. "What's My Scene" was their biggest hit at home, but they have a deep catalog, including "Come Anytime", "Bittersweet", "Another World", and my personal favorite Gurus song: "Baby Can Dance".

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3. Crowded House
A huge band internationally, with only middling recognition in America, perhaps because of our preoccupation with grunge. Most fans point to later songs as evidence of Neil Finn's continued growth as a songwriter, but I think the eponymous debut is one of the most perfect albums of the 80s, one that I still listen to start-to-finish with joy. It's not just the hits like "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong". It's the wryness of "Now We're Getting Somewhere", the desperation of "Love You Till the Day I Die", and the bittersweet tang of "I Walk Away".

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2. INXS
Australia's biggest export (after AC/DC and the Bee Gees--but this is a list of my favorites, remember?), INXS ruled the world at the end of the 80s. Ok, it's not like they were U2. But they were a heck of a lot more fun. Churning out beauties like "Don't Change", "The One Thing", "What You Need", and "New Sensation", INXS epitomizes dance rock, and I consider them the forebear of acts like Maroon 5, Franz Ferdinand, maybe even Kasabian. INXS was awesome live. RIP Michael Hutchence, one of the greats, an irreplacable voice.

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1. Midnight Oil
I once shaved my head. E. E. Cummings, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Matt Johnson, Peter Garrett. It seemed the thing to do. Too much time locked in my room, I guess. Earth and Sun and Moon has gradually surpassed Blue Sky Mining and Diesel and Dust in my estimation, but I'll limit myself to the 80s here. I still haven't recovered from the ongoing overplay of "Beds Are Burning", but "The Dead Heart", "Dreamworld", "Best of Both Worlds", and "Read About It" will always speak to me. I also have to say that Oingo Boingo is the only live act I've seen that approaches Midnight Oil.

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Who's Missing?
Dead Can Dance is one of my "If you were stuck on an island..." bands and ought to top this list. But while they did form in Australia, they moved to England almost immediately and were associated with 4AD. I've just never thought of them as Australian. I'm sorry. Besides, I've featured them twice before in Friday's Fives.