music and notes : : notes and music

Back in the day, and stuck as we were (are?) at the arse end of the world, Kiwi listening tastes were very much dictated by what was going on in the UK, America and Australia.

Very little from Europe filtered down to us.

Consequently I was introduced to the myriad joys of bands like Rita Mitsouko, Plastic Bertrand and Indochine rather late in life.

I certainly made up for lost time, and consumed these icons of trashy pop greatness like a girl starving. (I am pretty much a sucker for anything sounding remotely 80s.)

It's only quite recently I became aware that, for Indochine at least, there was life beyond the eighties.

Indochine are the ultimate purveyors of driving melodic pop: their music is like candy.

It gives you a massive sugar rush, spiking you high into the stratosphere. And although it's true that too much in one sitting has the potential to leave you with a tension headache, taken in small doses, Indochine are almost guaranteed to put a smile on your dial.

Here's "Adora" from Alice et June:




[Indochine - MySpace] [Amazon]

Labels: 80s, Eurorock, Pop

Anyone remember Bronski Beat?

Three UK lads who took the world by storm in the early 80s with a string of dance hits that went on to became huge gay anthems?

Remember wee Jimmy Somerville, with a face like a potato (a very cute potato), and a voice like an angel?

I had their album Age of Consent on vinyl, back in the day. I think I may have even worn a hole in it.

I'd all but forgotten about these lads, when I came across the remix "Tell Me Why" by Supermode.

Supermode are a Scandinavian group, apparently, who also like to be known as the "Swedish House Mafia". Go figure.

The song is a remix of two Bronski Beat songs, with music sampled from "Smalltown Boy", and lyrics taken from both "Smalltown Boy" and "Why".

It's magic. Listen:

Labels: 80s, Dance, UK