...or something to remind me...

Wishing (I Had A Photograph Of You)-A Flock Of Seagulls

OK...its a month away from 20th, so i figured I maybe write about some of the songs of my formative years. This is by no means there biggest hit (they are most famous for "I Ran (So Far Away)" and "Space Age Love Song"....the first was a top 10 hit, the latter a club hit (one of their many) but its their most beautiful. It sums up all that's great about the 80's. I am sure metal and grunge were reactions to new wave, but frankly, well, grunge was highly overrated and just gave people excuses not to shower (Nirvana aside) and metal, well, I always got a kick out of my Indiana classmates that called Duran Duran faggots for wearing makeup and then dug Kiss. Er, ok...

And nobody feminized music more than Prince (from the male standpoint)...but I digress

Billy Idol, when he wasn't embarassing himself with "Mony Mony", a career-stopping moment so risible he should seriously have been host, sang about "Dancing With Myself." This is the companion piece to that song...its got an odd metronomic beat that would be simply be impossible to dance to with anyone else. It takes romantic vulnerable to pathetic (and glorious) heights..."I wish I had a photograph of you, or something to remind me. If i had a photograph of you, i wouldn't spend my life just wishing."

To me, highschool is more about being in love with the idea of love than having the maturity to actually be in love. And this song sums that all up in a hyper-romantic glorious melodic messy 5 minutes.

It's My Life-Talk Talk

OK...if Gwen Stefani/No Doubt's cover of this moved any old Talk Talk records, then I can forgive her for ska. Can i say it...all ska sucks.

Talk Talk is one of the most underrated and underappreciated bands of the 80's, especially among bands that worked in the pop idiom (this would exclude say a Sonic Youth). There weird career trajectory didn't help. First album The Party's Over was great fun, while second record It's My Life got darker and more melodic (and featured this massively beautiful stunner, which was their biggest and only Top 40 hit...but it also featured gorgeous new wave songs like "Call In The Night Boy" and "Such A Shame",) particularly with "Renee", which would hint at where they were headed. Their first masterpiece (at least in the conventional sense) was The Colour Of Spring, which featured beer commercial minor hit "Life's What You Make It."

And then, totally out of the blue, came Laughingstock and Spirit Of Eden, which were odd distaff lonely icey jazz-hued records. And giving credit where credit is due, Thom Yorke has talked about how much these two records influenced him...and you can hear many echoes of Talk Talk in Radiohead (particularly on the stunningly beautiful b-side "It's Getting Late In The Evening"). These are two underrated classics...and their last recordings. Mark Eitzel (lead singer) did a similarly beautiful solo record....and then nothing.

But this was what I heard first, and the song I love the most. But if you think its cool to 'discover' a band only to find out that they have a huge back catalogue...here's a band for you.

Forgiveness-Yeasayer

In the last 4 weeks no song has impressed me more. I'd read about them...I think they are out of Brooklyn and that "scene", but I wasn't prepared for how fucked-up, off kilter, drunk and beautiful this is. Right from the get go...the song sounds like a needle was just dropped into the middle of the record. Its a genius move...you have no choice but to pay immediate attention since you are transported to what sounds like 30 seconds into the song.

And the song...honestly, what's so great about it is that I almost can't describe it....pagan chanting, Bjork, Animal Collective, ESG, Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" all come to mind. Yeah, i know...high praise...and I hate to damn it with such praise. But I don't lie. Beautiful and fucking brilliant. So far, song of the year.

How Swede It Is....

Subtle Changes-Sambassadeur

The perfect springtime song, with lush Bacharach-esque strings and gorgeous sweet melancholic vocals. And oh yes, from Sweden. No, its not "Lovefool" by the Cardigans....its less 60's, more 80's (for some reason it reminds me of an 80's pop hit). Think the Sundays with lush sexier less lonely vocals. I haven't listened to the rest of the Sambassadeur (they are named after a Serge Gainsbourg record, interestingly enough), but based on this, I am looking forward to hearing it (its called Migration--and released on the excellent Labrador records, which is based in Sweden). Saint Etienne, summer at the beach, drinks early on a hot evening...this evokes all of those. Let the swooning begin

Vi Kommer Att Dö Samtidigt-Säkert!

Equally gorgeous, with a 60's pop bent. I have no idea what she is talking about....and I don't imagine that Swedish rolls off the tongue like other languages....yet prepare yourself to hum Annika Norlin singing "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" all day. As far as I know, she's released one self-titled record. All in Swedish. Perfect after a long midsummer's night. Agnetha and Annifrid would be proud.