Yes. (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} blankis1337) wrote,@ 2009-07-05 02:14:00 |
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| Current music: | All that stuff listed. Spent, like, three hours on it. |
This Isn't Your Father's 80s Music
Made my old man a killer mix as I had 80s music on the brain all day today. I call it, "This Isn't Your Father's 80s Music" in honor of Powerlord's link to the latest Strong Bad email. I wrote him this two-page summary so he can know the names of the songs he doesn't like on there. I'm hoping he'll like 4 out of the 20 on there. Only 19 listed as the last is a bonus track. (Salim's Ringtone from Slumdog Millionaire)
Who? | What? | | Style? |
Shiny Toy Guns | Major Tom, cover of Peter Schilling’s 1983 song about David Bowie’s fictional astronaut, Major Tom. Got all that? | 1. Sheer awesome. 2. Ripping up Summer 2K9 courtesy of the 2010 Lincoln MKZ using it extensively in their cool commercial. Earth below us! (5.5.09) | Electro/ New Wave/ Synthpop |
Gary Numan | Are ‘Friends’ Electric? (May ‘79) | Gary Numan was a two hit wonder – this proceeds Cars by a few months. It’s been covered more than a dozen times. Need anything more be said? | Electronic/ really early New Wave |
Joy Electric | The Memory of Alpha (March ’07) | Entirely composed on the Moog, Ronnie Martin leaned heavily on his vocal work to propel this vibrant track concerning the fall of Man forward. | Synthpop, Electropop |
Shiny Toy Guns | Stripped, November ’05 cover of Depeche Mode’s 15th single circa 2.10.86 | Really catchy, creepy imagery ripped straight from Orwell’s masterpiece, 1984. Better with the male-female vocal interplay. | New Wave |
Shiny Toy Guns | Le Disko (October ’06) | Stark synth stabs, classic electo structure.. This piece could have been released in 1988. | Synthpop/ indie rock/ electropop |
Mindless Self Indulgence | Never Wanted to Dance (Electro Hurtz Mix) (3.18.08) | MSI bills themselves as the most terrible band in the world. They are very bad, but manage to write addictive hooks that won’t leave your head. This bangin’ mix amps up the electro elements to an extreme. The synth warbles sound identical to those on the last track.. Hmm..? | Electro/ Alt. rock |
Felix da Housecat | Rocket Ride (May ’04) This is from my favorite Felix da Housecat period – he’s deep in electro, but not obnoxious, too minimal, or too vulgar. | Catchy! This Chicagoan boldly blazed on where Chicago House left off after dying. Born in ’71, he was able to grow up in the incredible upheaval electronic music experienced in the mid 80s. He’s been releasing stuff nonstop since the late 80s, constantly remixing, too. He owns several very influential record labels, to boot. | Electro w/Synthpop influences |
Innerpartysystem | Die Tonight, Live Forever (9.22.08) | This incredibly gritty, energetic, and depressing-as-all-get-out song is one of my new favorites. “We may not all be pretty, but we feel pretty fake!” Killer stuff not really connected to the 80s. | Alt. Rock/ Industrial/ Electroclash |
Datarock | I Used To Dance With My Daddy (Karma Harvest Mix) (late ’07) | Something happy had to proceed that last track. This ridiculous, silly song is by a Norweigan duo following in Devo’s footsteps | Dance-punk/ Electro/ Norweigan duo |
Digitalism | Pogo (5.9.07) Yep, my 18th birffffffday. | “Now you have a brighter smile and I think I’m going to like it.” Introspective and interesting. Can you tell a difference between a German attitude and a Norweigan one? | Dance-punk/ Electro/ German duo |
Ladytron | Ghosts (5.17.2008) Did you know Devo’s frontman, Mark Mothersbaugh, went on to write all the music for the shows I watched growing up? Everything on Nickelodeon was by him. | Ladytron is largely responsible for bringing back dreampop and electropop. This song is a gentle example of their ability to create new sounds within an age-old framework. The song makes an appearance on the Sims 3, of all places. | Electropop/ Electroclash |
The Secret Meeting | Blacker than Blue (The Humble Brothers Mix) (late ’07) | The Humble Brothers (not to be confused with the Dust Brothers, the Chemical Brothers, or the Brothers Martin, whom I also listen to) are awesome. This is an interesting example of THB’s industrial mixed into the “darkwave” genre. | Darkwave filtered through an industrial lens |
Underworld | Change the Weather (12.1.89) | Underworld is huge. To quote AllMusic, “Underworld became one of the most crucial electronic acts of the 1990s via an intriguing synthesis of old and new.” | Rock/ Synthpop New Wave |
Underworld | Underneath the Radar (2.16.88) | Both of these songs were recorded before Underworld switched from generic 80s to freaking amazing electronic goodness. | Rock/ New Wave/ Synthpop/ |
Rush | One Little Victory (3.29.02) | Rush!! The Rush!! Their 17th album and first after a six-year delay. Rush has only improved since the late 70s and this proves why. | Purely modern rock. Very loud. |
The Fashion | Like Knives (May ’08) | This Danish quartet sounds funny. I like their goofy lead singer. | Indie rock |
Airbourne | Girls in Black (June ’07) | If AC/DC had a better singing voice, this is what they would sound like. Airbourne is also Australian! | Hard rock directly from ye ‘ol 1980 |
Utah Saints | Something Good (arranged by Dougal & Gammer, rap by MC Whizzkid) (June ’08) (Original circa late ‘89) | Never heard of the Utah Saints?? Really?? These two dudes practically invented the use of processed samples forming the backbone of a song. It samples Kate Bush from “Cloud Busting” | A freeform hardcore arrangement of an early house song |
Justice | Genesis (June ’07) | Justice is very, very popular right now. The problem is… they’re terrible. This is their only tolerable song. You are now way beyond cool. Brag to your sister and brother-in-law about how viciously cutting edge you are. | Electro house mixed with liberal doses of drum ‘n bass and the ubiquitous French weirdness. |
1. Electropop songs are pop songs at heart, often with simple, catchy hooks and dance beats, but differing from those of electronic dance music genres which electropop helped to inspire — techno, house, electroclash, etc. — in that songwriting is emphasized over simple danceability. They often feature alienated deadpan lyrics with a futuristic sci-fi edge.
2. Synthpop is a subgenre of New Wave and pop music in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It is most closely associated with the era between the late 1970s and early to middle 1980s, although it has continued to exist and develop ever since. Jean Michel Jarre and Kraftwerk were pioneers of the style.
3. Electroclash is a style of music that fuses New Wave and electronic dance music. Larry Tee coined the term, but DJ Hell from Gigolo Records is also often regarded as one of the pioneers of the genre. The aesthetic is often associated with the 1982 film Liquid Sky.
4. Darkwave is a music genre that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic principles, dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and an undertone of sorrow for some bands. In the 1980s, a subculture developed alongside dark wave music, whose members were called "wavers" or "dark wavers". The British post-punk groups that inspired Gothic rock provided initial impetus for the movement. As a result, dark wave is linked to the Goth subculture.
5. Dance-punk is a music genre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the post-punk and no wave movements. Many groups in the post-punk era adopted a more rhythmic tempo, conducive to dancing. These bands were influenced by disco, funk, and other dance musics popular at the time, as well as being anticipated by some of the 1970s work of David Bowie, Brian Eno, and Iggy Pop. Influential 80s artists included The Clash, Public Image Ltd., Gang of Four, New Order, The Slits, Billy Idol, The Fall, The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Sigue Sigue Sputnik.
6. New Wave is an inexact term for a rock genre that originated in 1976. The term started as applying to punk rock music. It evolved to cover punk-based acts that mixed in other elements. During the 1980s in the United States New Wave became a catch-all term that applied to new acts in general and synthpop acts in particular. New Wave was basically the reinvention of rock 'n' roll of the 1960s but it also incorporated various influences as well as aspects of mod subculture, electronic music, disco, and funk. The 1990s and 2000s have seen revivals, and a number of acts that have been influenced by a variety of New Wave styles.
