most progressive
most forward-thinking

The obvious answer for me is This Heat. I was listening to Deceit this morning and every time it blows me away. It still sounds so incredibly fresh and modern despite being nearly 30 years old.

There are bits in there that sound just like lurchy 90's metal, tons of weird mathy bits, electronic and tape effects which don't sound shit, post-rocky soundscapes. They had already pretty much defined modern dance music with their first album (I can't believe 24 track loop was made in 1978).

They even have catchy hooks too.