Tamaryn – Crane Kiss
The track Cranekiss owes an obvious nod to Cocteau Twins but the driving beat also reminds me of Dream About Me for the now defunct Pains of Being Pure at Heart side project, The Depreciation Guild.
Them Are Us Too – Eudaemonia
This is a nice retro trip, and although that is maybe becoming a cliche notion, this is NOT a look back at 80’s Synth. We are talking about the hazy, dreamy world New Wave/Goth vibe of Cocteau Twins, Bel Canto and The Cure. There are also more ethereal vocal vibes reminiscent of Julee Cruise, Tamaryn…
A Modern Day John Hughes Soundtrack now on Spotify
Our recent mix of “Do You Remember – A Modern Day John Hughes Soundtrack” has taken off like gangbusters this week. Since everyone has been enjoying this theme, we decided to take it to Spotify for you. The playlist below contains songs from the first two mix volumes (note that not all of the songs from the mixes were available on Spotify).
Fatal Charm – Summer Spies (Hi@30mix)
One of my favorite albums of the mid 90s was Jamboreebop by State Of Grace featuring the songs Hello, And Love Will Fall and Smile. This was a band that I truly missed, until today. I was listening to some playlists on Spotify and heard this beautiful voice that immediate caught my attention…and it sounded oh so familiar. The band was Fatal Charm, a band that I had never heard of. I continued to listen to a few songs and after a while the sounds started to sound familiar. They were State Of Grace songs! I did some quick googling and was surprised to find out that Fatal Charm was the early incarnation of State Of Grace.
Do You Remember? | A Modern Day John Hughes Soundtrack | DJ Mikey
This is Volume 2 in the mix series of songs that sound like they would be included in a modern day John Hughes Soundtrack. I used a few different approaches in picking songs. Some of these songs might perfectly fit in one of his 80s masterpieces while others are guess how the sounds that he covets might have evolved over the years.
Daybehavior – Change
Apparently, this is the summer of infectious female-led synthpop jams. You know what? I’m quite ok with this. Meanwhile, the video is all sorts of Retro invoking the look of Deee-Lite and Austin Powers at the same time.
Priest – Strong Hearts (with lyrics)
Strong Hearts is just the latest in a string of infectious synthpop jams from the Orlando duo, Priest. From the debut self-titled LP, the track will have you singing along in no time and it’s not going to leave your head any time soon.
Class Actress – More Than You
I flat out LOVE this new track from Class Actress! Elizabeth Harper has done a rather impressive job of re-inventing herself; from her earlier folkier acoustic based solo days when she was billed as a ‘Female Morrissey’, to her rebirth as a synthpop star with Class Actress tracks like Journal Of Ardency, Weekend and Keep…
Cold Showers – Plantlife
Plantlife, the new single from Cold Showers is a very pleasant surprise to stumble upon. The LA Post-Punk band wowed us with their debut LP “Love and Regret”, but they’ve been pretty quiet of late. On the surprise new single, a driving synth beat is added to the mix of pounding drums and shimmering Post Punk…
The Radio Dept – Occupied
From the moment you hear the syncopated beats you are thinking some kind of 80’s dance jam ala Blue Monday or Bizarre Love Triangle is on the way. Not exactly, as the song settles in to a more chilled groove with slightly disaffected vocals – but that is kind of the charm of The Radio Dept. As the song continues, the bouncy synths invoke Royksopp and Technique-era New Order.
Tobias Bernstrup – Romanticism
This title track from Tobias Bernstrup’s new album “Romanticism” is a great synthpop track and really has multiple levels of the theme “old vs new”. It has a modern sound but you can hear its ’80s roots, and it will appeal to fans of bands like Alphaville and Empathy Test and many others in that genre.
Sarah Cracknell – Nothing Left To Talk About (featuring Nicky Wire)
Saint Etienne frontwoman Sarah Cracknell is stepping out for a solo break with her new LP, Red Kite. This gorgeous slice of Indie Pop seems radio-ready, with charming boy-girl trade off vocals between Sarah and Manic Street Preachers’ Nicky Wire.