THROWBACK 1980 || The Associates: "Paper House"

Never released as a single, "Paper House" remains one of the more overlooked - and elegant - entries in the tragically short lived career of the already unfairly obscure Scottish band, The Associates (later just Associates). Like the best bands of the time, Associates fused upbeat, minimalist synth patterns with mechanistic percussion and dark, oblique bass/guitar lines to create a dichotomy of repressed alienation.

Poliça: "Tiff" [feat. Justin Vernon]

Well well, Mr. Bon Iver himself takes a little time off from being Kanye's cracker barrel muse and throws a little love elsewhere, this time popping up as a back up vocalist on Poliça's fantastic new single, "Tiff". Honestly I'm guessing Justin Vernon's contribution took him all of five minutes to lay down, so let's reserve most of the credit for Channy Leaneagh's 90s chanteuse vocals atop Ryan Olson's synthpop-meets-cloud rap production.

Hey Champ: "Celebrate"

I listened to the new Simply Red recently. Sucked. As you probably expected it. "Celebrate" actually sounds more like SR contemporaries Thompson Twins, maybe with Howard Jones fronting. That chorus is totally it's own beast, however.

Butterclock: "Hologram"

In contrast to the previous two posts this morning, this synthpop jam from Berlin upstarts Butterclock is sweet effervescence with no trace of cynicism or doom. The beat has a beat of that 80's freestyle (a.k.a Latin hip-hop) vibe, also reminiscent of cracker-rap classic "Genius of Love", which I guess had kind of a Krautrock engine driving it as well now that I think about it. Full circle, then, carry on...

Astari Nite: "Pyramids"

Astari Nite! Get it? Shit, that wore off fast, didn't it? "Pyramids" the single ought to have a much longer shelf life than that ill-fated pun of a moniker, Mychael Ghost's vocals a cool mix of Peter Murphy and vintage Bowie. This Miami band has been around since 2010 but is just now getting around to releasing their first full length album this Spring. Maybe it's not so much that the album format is "dead" as it is just transitioning back to the early purpose of the original albums, which were literally just a collection of 78 RPM singles packaged together in a binder.

(via Off the Radar)

The Presets: "Promises"

"Promises" brings back that Northern Soul-influenced synthpop of the early 80s, sort of a middle ground between Spandau Ballet and Level 42.

Shout Out Louds: "Blue Ice"

For all the obtuse artists skewing the sounds of 80's new wave into something dense and impermeable, occasionally there comes along an act that plays it basically straight while still managing to showcase pop smarts of their own. Shout Out Louds are from Sweden, so that helps; "Blue Ice" occupies a middle spot equidistant between the Mexican standoff trio of Level 42, Simply Red and Chris Rea. You could substitute dozens of other acts but one gets the idea I presume.

Optica is out February 26 on Merge.

Prince Rama: "Those Who Live For Love Will Live Forever"

Much of today's retro-synthpop is less outright homage than drugged out, misremembered pastiche. Nowhere is there a better example than Prince Rama, a well-hyped piss take whose Top Ten Hits of the End of the World was released recently to universal acclaim (and threats of year end top 10 placements) on Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label. These fuzzy, weathered, VHS-reminiscent videos are a dime a dozen these days, but few bands pull off the sound to go with them quite as successfully as this lysergic, ersatz aerobics anthem which is zero percent grounded in reality (or even pathos). This Beantown duo has done nothing less but disappear down their own K(-Tel) holes and want to bring us all to the party. Rendezvous with Rama, but pack a heavy lunch... you're gonna be gone awhile.

Crocodiles: "Endless Flowers"

For all I know Crocodiles were actually named after the debut album by Echo & the Bunnymen, but they do manage to shoehorn a few other post-punk / new wave influences in there as well: Psychedelic Furs, for one. Maybe early (really early) Human League? I don't know, but the familiarity merely provides a back drop for the band's solid, accessible songwriting.

Endless Flowers the album is out now on Frenchkiss.

Sam Flax: "Fire Doesn't Burn Itself"

The late 70's + early 80's were a golden era of unapologetic camp, a veritable treasure trove of unvarnished, un-self conscious WTF moments. It's good to have guys like Sam Flax representing for the modern era; kids from 2040 are going to need their own retro-bizarre schtick to look back on for inspiration (and also to wonder why things were so white).

Age Waves is out on vinyl September 17 on Burger (US) and/or Sounds of Sweet Nothing (Europe), or you could just download it digitally right now over at Bandcamp.

Van She: "Idea of Happiness"

People like to sneer at my so-called musical elitism, claiming I'm an indie snob who doesn't like pop music just because I don't give it up for the Kelly Clarksons and the Katy Perrys.  Well, fuck you, this IS pop music... and I like it. It may not be in the Billboard Top 40. It may in fact sound like a pop song circa 1984 rather than 2012, but it's still pop music, damn you.

Van She (presumably riffing on Banshee, to which this group owes many obvious similarities) even uses that bouncy synth phrasing in the chorus that's so popular among the youth of today. But mainly it's just that "Idea of Happiness" is so much catchier than anything I have yet to hear out of the David Guetta / Lady GaGa school of dance pop that it fully justifies hating the fuck out of the latter.

[UPDATE 4/4/12: adding official video]:

Catcall: "The World Is Ours"

There will always be a place in this world for cheerleaders. I like to think even the Roman gladiators slaughtered each other to howls of approval from their own short-kilted cheering section. But at the very least cheerleaders are an essential music video trope, especially for sunny, Go Go's-esque new wave.

The Warmest Place is Sydney one woman band Catcall's debut album, out May 4 on on Ivy League Records.
CATCALL: The World Is Ours from Ivy League Records on Vimeo.

A Gender: "Anemic"

Best album title of the year: Self (En)Titled by Melbourne's A Gender, the new project from Romy Hoffman, probably best known for her hip hop project Macromantics, who were briefly signed to Kill Rock Stars in the mid-2000's. Hoffman was also a fourth quarter replacement in alt-rock band Noise Addict back in the 90s and has been restlessly dabbling in different styles - with different projects - in recent years. A Gender is the latest of those, an old school new-wave infused punk throwback that is doing good things.

"Anemic" works in the Elastica vein, so we're talking several layers of Wire-worship deep here. The whole damn album can be downloaded for free at the group's obligatory Bandcamp page.
(via Mess + Noise)