I have a hard time finding an answer with "more important" as the criteria, Steve. What do you mean by that?
I prefer the Minutemen and that whole side of things from that era, but both groups were important to their different circles I suppose, and from time to time I'll be annoyed to find myself humming along with Wang Chung in the grocery store. I just feel strongly that these arguments take away from individuals actually LISTENING to music and thinking for themselves.
Some years ago we were at a club and a band many have now heard of, called Modest Mouse, were set to play ... we knew their name but had never heard them and were interested in maybe sticking around to check it out ... so we asked a young girl who was talkative and seemed up on new music what Modest Mouse sounded like?
Our first question was, "What are they like?"
"Oh they're very important"
Try as we did to rephrase this question in a way that got an answer describing the band's actual music, it's energy or feel, it's instruments or themes, it's vibe or spirit or message or whatever ... all she had to say was "they're very important", and variations on that same mantra.
She's not unique. That sense of what's important has consumed and to some extent kept afloat many so called indy bands. A good thing in that regard, yet often leading to self absorption, an ugly quality for a genre once about not giving a fuk and just banging it out for the love if it.
So what do you mean by important? Influential? Creative? Timeless? What?