Are 'Friends' Electric
Tubeway Army 🇬🇧
4th May 1979 (single), 4th April 1979 (LP)
As the dying embers of punk faded, this new sound seemed like something we'd been waiting for - the next phase for pop/rock. A big leap forwards while still being rooted in the present.
In some ways, it wasn't really that new. It's a rock record with drums, bass, and guitar. It adds synths, but they weren't really that new, even in the mainstream. We already had Kraftwerk breaking through three years earlier, and dance music soon embraced the technology, e.g. 1977's I Feel Love by Donna Summer. But they were used differently here, and the combination of sounds, the vocal delivery, the visuals and marketing, all combined to make this a massive hit - not only sounding great in 1979, but also sounding great now, over 40 years later.
Outside the Trains Don't Run on Time
Gang of Four 🇬🇧
1980 (single), 1981 (Solid Gold LP)
If there's one band whose influence seems to massively outweigh their own commercial success, it's Gang of Four. Year-in, year-out, we hear new acts influenced by their funk and dub influenced post-punk rock. This song encapsulates everything I loved about them. It's angry. political, energetic, and yet it grooves.
Me & Magdalena
The Monkees 🇺🇸
20th May 2016 (single), 27th May 2016 (LP)
This is another great track from the year of many gems, 2016. That year marked the 50th Anniversary of the formation of The Monkees, and a project was put together to make a new record by the three surviving members. This is its highlight track.
Previously...
- Ride on Time - Black Box : Sat, 17 Oct 2020 00:30:38
- Spitfire - Public Service Broadcasting : Wed, 7 Oct 2020 23:54:46
- Pump Up The Volume - M/A/R/R/S : Mon, 5 Oct 2020 00:36:09
- Hot Doggie - Colourbox : Sat, 3 Oct 2020 22:36:10
- Ablaze - School of Seven Bells : Tue, 29 Sep 2020 22:00:02
- Sweet Jane - Cowboy Junkies : Sat, 15 Aug 2020 22:41:10
- Sweet Jane - Lou Reed : Sat, 15 Aug 2020 22:07:27
- Running From the Thoughts - Dub Pistols feat. Terry Hall : Sat, 25 Jul 2020 22:57:43
- Sense - Terry Hall : Thu, 23 Jul 2020 22:54:01
- Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go's : Tue, 21 Jul 2020 01:19:58
- Gangsters - Special A.K.A. : Tue, 21 Jul 2020 00:50:49
- Nothing Lasts Forever - Echo & the Bunnymen : Sun, 12 Jul 2020 03:08:22
- Lie Dream of a Casino Soul - The Fall : Sun, 12 Jul 2020 01:56:41
- Buy Nothing Day - The Go! Team : Fri, 3 Jul 2020 22:06:30
- Lime Habit - Poliça : Sat, 27 Jun 2020 23:48:52
- Chains Changed EP - Throwing Muses : Wed, 24 Jun 2020 00:02:04
- My Baby's Taking Me Home - Sparks : Thu, 18 Jun 2020 22:48:21
- Karen - Chew Lips : Fri, 12 Jun 2020 22:47:29
- Paper Thin - She Makes War (feat. Tanya Donelly) : Sun, 7 Jun 2020 20:31:57
- Weekender - Flowered Up : Tue, 2 Jun 2020 21:20:48
- Paranoid Android - Radiohead : Tue, 2 Jun 2020 21:20:47
- Jesus of Suburbia - Green Day : Tue, 2 Jun 2020 21:20:44
- White Love (Radio Mix) - One Dove : Fri, 29 May 2020 22:53:30
- Message Personnel - Dot Allison : Fri, 29 May 2020 22:53:29
- Dirge - Death in Vegas : Fri, 29 May 2020 22:53:28
- Film Burn - Yppah (feat. Anomie Belle) : Sun, 24 May 2020 23:15:39
- Gumball Machine Weekend - Yppah : Sun, 24 May 2020 23:15:38
- Salt Spring - Anomie Belle : Sun, 24 May 2020 23:15:35
- Lovely Allen - Holy Fuck : Wed, 20 May 2020 21:35:03
- Olympians - Fuck Buttons : Wed, 20 May 2020 21:35:02
- Queen of Hearts - Fucked Up : Wed, 20 May 2020 21:35:01
- E-Bow The Letter - R.E.M. : Sat, 16 May 2020 01:45:47
- I Trawl The MEGAHERTZ - Paddy McAloon : Fri, 15 May 2020 01:29:11
- The Gift - The Velvet Underground : Fri, 15 May 2020 01:29:09
- Nautilus - Anna Meredith : Mon, 11 May 2020 19:46:28
- The King of Rome - The Unthanks : Sun, 10 May 2020 23:50:44
- Symphony of Sorrowful Songs - David Zinman, Dawn Upshaw & London Sinfionetta : Sun, 10 May 2020 22:41:03
- Amser - Gwenno : Wed, 6 May 2020 19:46:28
- La Valse à Mille Temps - Jacques Brel : Wed, 6 May 2020 19:46:23
- Ammæli (Birthday) - Sugarcubes (Sykurmolarnir) : Wed, 6 May 2020 19:46:22
- Far Far Away / How Does It Feel? - Slade : Tue, 5 May 2020 21:44:07
- Heart of Glass - Blondie : Sun, 3 May 2020 00:01:05
- Golden Brown - The Stranglers : Sun, 3 May 2020 00:01:04
- All Mapped Out - The Departure : Sat, 2 May 2020 22:08:05
- Interstate 5 - The Wedding Present : Thu, 30 Apr 2020 00:39:52
- Thru The Glass - Thirteen Senses : Thu, 30 Apr 2020 00:36:21
- Night Nurse - Gregory Isaacs : Tue, 28 Apr 2020 22:36:44
- Throw Down Your Arms - Sinéad O'Connor : Tue, 28 Apr 2020 22:36:43
- Private Life / She's Lost Control - Grace Jones : Tue, 28 Apr 2020 22:36:41
- Keep Me - Pesky : Sun, 26 Apr 2020 20:40:59
- Everything Is The Same - Pull In Emergency : Sun, 26 Apr 2020 20:40:58
- Torn - Natalie Imbruglia : Sat, 25 Apr 2020 21:27:31
- Flowers of Romance - Public Image Ltd : Fri, 24 Apr 2020 19:22:28
- It's On - Flowered Up : Fri, 24 Apr 2020 19:22:19
- Something Good '08 - Utah Saints : Thu, 23 Apr 2020 20:46:33
- Mathematics - Cherry Ghost : Thu, 23 Apr 2020 16:23:59
- Wishery / Upular - Pogo : Wed, 22 Apr 2020 15:09:50
- I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need To Be Nicer - The Cardigans : Tue, 21 Apr 2020 22:07:38
- Fish - Throwing Muses : Tue, 21 Apr 2020 19:35:41
- We Can Work It Out - The Beatles : Mon, 20 Apr 2020 21:31:21
- Glory Box - Portishead : Sun, 19 Apr 2020 22:26:04
- 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night - Simon and Garfunkel : Sun, 19 Apr 2020 17:58:24
- Deceptacon - Le Tigre : Sun, 19 Apr 2020 17:58:21
- Just Like Heaven - The Cure : Sat, 18 Apr 2020 21:42:24
- I'm Not In Love - 10cc : Fri, 17 Apr 2020 23:38:11
- Number One Song in Heaven - Sparks : Fri, 17 Apr 2020 14:45:43
- Planet of Sound - Pixies : Fri, 17 Apr 2020 00:42:34
- Clearest Blue - Chvrches : Wed, 15 Apr 2020 23:37:50
- Tiny Feet - The Heart Throbs : Wed, 15 Apr 2020 17:35:08
- Lost in the Plot - The Dears : Tue, 14 Apr 2020 12:41:54
- Into U - Richard X ft Jarvis Cocker : Sun, 12 Apr 2020 22:11:11
- Supervixen - Garbage : Sun, 12 Apr 2020 16:52:54
- Song to the Siren - This Mortal Coil : Sun, 12 Apr 2020 16:52:53