Escape From New York

If you're going to name yourself or band after something really awesome, you've got to be prepared to be awesome right? Case in point, Escape From New York. They only released two singles in the early '80s, but oh, the singles. Huge basslines, catchy hooks, lush synths, man, they were good. The four members kinda fell (escaped?) off the face of this earth after the early '90s but I like to think they may have fell into another world, one more suited to their futuristic sound.

Escape From New York- Fire In My Heart

Escape From New York- Slow Beat
(Thanks to the excellent Gold Code for this gigantic vocoder jam!)

Clio, Now More Than Ever.

Clio returns! Unfortunately my dream about her songs all being about body parts (check out Eyes and Faces) didn't pan out, but I'll get over it. In '86, Clio and Roberto Ferrante (Pineapples!) teamed up once again for another synthtastic piece of perky italo this time under the guise of Glam. Strangely the a side entitled More Than Ever (Club Mix) is a completely different song, vocals by a man, maybe Ferrante himself, with a different tune and lyrics and its not even very good. But who cares about these mysteries when the b side is where its at anyway? Clio on vocals and Ferrante on keys and production... it doesn't get much better than that in my book.

Glam- More Than Ever (Fashion Mix)

By the way check out that thing to the right there that says Interconnectedness and has the cube and all the spaceships. Its a feed of my tumblr page where you can see a hodgepodge of what I might be digging around the old interweb. Ees fun.

Deja Vu

Bobsy asked for a re-up, and being that I posted the requested song a year ago when nobody read ARAWA, I'll just re-post the whole thing! It's a song so good, it deserves at least two posts...

This song makes me wanna dance like Molly Ringwald. Or with her. Whatever. I can't find any info on this band whatsoever but I can tell you that:

1. Its probably from around '81.
2. It sounds like a lot of early Depeche Mode before they got all sad. Speak & Spell in particular.
3. Echo & The Bunnymen have a song called Turquoise Days.
4. My girlfriend loves turquoise.
5. I love this song.

Turquoise Days- Grey Skies

Edit: Since posting this, a discogs page has showed up and apparently, the two members went on from here to make... psychedelic trance! Bummer.

Petite Feet

Tim and Eric are releasing Awesome Record! Great Songs! Vol. 1 next week and it's 44(!) tracks of brilliance just as hilarious and uncomfortable feeling as you all hoped it will be. The title says it all right? Here's a little taste...

Tim and Eric- Petite Feet

The season one DVD is on sale now and they're on tour as we speak (the two dates in SF sold out before I even knew about it, so get on it!). Spagett!

Something In The Air

Perfect track and video from an amazing dude, Yukihiro Takahashi of Yellow Magic Orchestra. What else is there to say?

Yukihiro Takahashi- Something In The Air

Thanks to Jaz (who's got some sweet new edits up by the way) for hipping me to Takahashi's 1981 album Neuromantic which I've had on heavy rotation for about four months now.

Highwayman

At one mystic time of the 80's, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson (Whistler!) joined forces for an outlaw country supergroup they dubbed, The Highwaymen. In this track, just your average flanger disco country with spidery Mark Knopfler-esque guitars, Willie stabs people with swords, Kris sails boats and Waylon builds dams while Johnny Cash, ever the forward thinker, leaves Earth and all it's problems behind...

"I fly a starship across the universe divide
And when I reach the other side
I'll find a place to rest my spirit if I can
Perhaps I may become a highwayman again
Or I may simply be a single drop of rain
But I will remain
And I'll be back again, and again and again and again and again..."

Excuse my language, but that is so fucking awesome.

The Highwaymen- Highwayman

In other country music news, B-Town Hit Parade put up a fantastic mixtape of down home flavors entitled, Country Roads, which made parts of my lonesome six hour drive yesterday absolutely fantastic.

Take On Me

Take On Me is one of the world's perfect pop songs, catchy, well-produced, nearly impossible to sing correctly and accompanied by arguably the best music video ever made (just don't argue with me about it, I'm very stubborn about it). It had a big hand in forming my musical tastes and is still easily one of my favorite songs ever made. The other day I found three early versions of this superjam and as you can imagine, I was pretty excited. Apparently the band released the song twice in different unsuccessful versions before they finally nailed it in the version we all know and love. I just love hearing this song as such a diamond in the rough with the production so stripped down and his voice so imperfect, but still holding such beauty and promise.

a-ha- Take On Me (Original Version)
a-ha- Take On Me (Early Tony Mansfield Mix)
a-ha- Take On Me (Unreleased Demo)

And how rad is that picture? Not only is somebody pretty proud of their butt, but I had no idea Hasselhoff was in the band.

Magic Pill

I'll be in Southern California for a bit to enjoy some time with friends, family and hopefully the water spirits but before I go, I'd like to leave a gift for my all friends here...

Last month I heard that one of my dearest friends was going over some unexpected health hurdles, and being the lovely luminous light he is, he didn't let it get him down and if anything, is just more bright and positive than before. He asked all his friends for just a little good energy or thoughts sent his way to help in the healing process and this was my contribution to the good cause. A mix of stuff that just feels good and therapeutic, and sounds to me like those quiet little moments in life that are sometimes too few and far between for my tastes.

White Lights (A Magic Pill for G)

All the Time

Sometimes San Francisco's bi-polar weather drives me a little nuts. One day it's beautiful and hot the next... crap. Cold windy crap. Do Piano's unique blend of gothy synth-pop is the perfect bittersweet pill to swallow on such a cold, cold day. With her sick-of-it-all monotone that scowling young lady up there reminds us that no matter how bad you've got it, she's got it way worse. So relax already.

Do Piano- All the Time

Should you need a stronger dose of happy to break through that funk, put your shorts on, lotion up and cruise over to one of my favorite blogs, Buzzin Cousin for Sunshine Pop Week! Yay!

Gesaffelstein

I've been totally broadsided by Gesaffelstein. He seemingly came out of nowhere with his dark star of an EP, Vengeance Factory, released quietly in late February on OD records. The four track EP combines the dark undulations of EBM with quirky flourishes of italo, all painted over with a Lifelike-ian sheen and it's really, really awesome.

Here's my favorite of the EP, a slow burner that once it finally reaches the hook with this big growling bass and glorious arpeggios, will have you wondering why this beautiful thing has such an awful sounding name.

Gesaffelstein- Death Fagh

You can buy this entire EP digitally at Juno or for realsies at Clone.