To my ears, a classic of lost love – Europa and the Pirate Twins from Thomas Dolby – now redone by Sondre Lerche. Bravo Sondre!  Watch a live version here. Buy the song for 99c here. There – I have finally admitted that I am a big Thomas Dolby fan. Not the “she blinded me with science” type of fan – more like the “One of our Submarines” kind of fans.

When the “in” generation is remaking classics, and I remember those classics, and the girl I used to like when those “classics” were playing on the radio, it’s time I realized it’s all downhill from here. I’m an old guy now.

Rock on Sondre.

By the way, rack another point up for Scandinavia. . .

First time I heard this fantastic track (Bullets) off of the Tunng album this morning on KCRW, followed by a track I’ve heard, but which deserves some adulation. That track is Sideways from Let’s Go Sailing. Both are pop-y and nice, and catchy in a sly way. There is so much good music out there – it’s really incredible. People talk about the Long Tail, but I live in it and happily.

The Video for the Bullets Track is up on YouTube – a kind of mix between a Terry Gilliam thing and the Muppet Show. Thematically this song reminds me of a fleeting thought I’ve had for the last 10 years – put up a list of the top 10 songs I like from the 80′s. It reminds me because I think I’d have to put “Is it like today” from World Party at the top of the list, and the Bullets track reminds me of that song in some ways.

For Your viewing pleasure, I  present the video to you: Watch. The video / sound quality is quite atrocious, but the lyrics are stunning.

Given the state of affairs out there, I’m voting for putting rock bands and comedians in charge.

In case you want more World Party Videos of the same song, try this — unfortunately the sound level was recorded a bit too high, but it’s still likable.

While I’m on World Party, I have to say, their songs  Ship of Fools (this version from the secret Policeman’s Ball), and another of my all-time favorites, All Come True (this clip actually has good audio quality!) are fun to listen to as well, if just for old times sake.

And boy am I glad. Now – I have nothing against DRM except that it usually is horribly implemented so it penalizes the honest. The idea that you have to jump through hoops to show that you own some music just takes all the fun out of it. I’d rather stop by the CD store, buy it, and have the right to copy it to my MP3 player etc. to listen.

Amazon comes along, and provides DRM-free downloads, which is nice.  Now, there isn’t a perfect selection, so you have a few holes, like the wonderful, Mana-like Volver a comenzar by Cafe Tacuba, which is not available on Amazon’s downloads, so you would have to find it here.

Sometimes a simple mash-up of music textures is magical. Acoustic piano, and a digitally manipulated voice: “Maybe, Maybe, Maybe. Could you go to the Dance with Me?” That is “Maybe Next Saturday”, remixed as part of a contest on MySpace.

Hauntingly beautiful.

But I can’t find this song anywhere to have you listen – supposedly remixed by Juzz, but I can’t find this mash anywhere at all. Let me know if you can. . .

Watch some other Pinker Tones. Enjoy

Update!  Looks as if the album I was after when I posted the above was just unavailable. You can find a snippet to listen to here. Scroll down to item #15, click your format, and enjoy.

The album seems to be available at best buy as well.

Stars, who I have been following since the days of the 4-track scratchy promo disc, have a great remixes album. Check it out or listen.

These remixes are based on the recent Stars album Set Yourself on Fire, which you can hear highlighted on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic in a live set recorded in 2005.

It’s always nice to hear a band come up, and produce great music. It’s even better to hear remixes that revitalize the music.

Carmen Rizzo is has an amazing portfolio. Even more amazing because you’d never heard of him until you read this! On a recent album of his – Lost Art of the Idle Moment – he has a song with Kate Havnevik, which has gotten some airplay recently. I’m sure you’ve heard “unlike me,” but you don’t know it.

So if neither of these names rings a bell, go get their albums, listen, and by the time you have done that I will have my next posting.

By the way – all amazing things in music come from Scandinavia – in case you were wondering.

As an aside,if you want to be rated a “musica obscura,” try naming over 80% of “transition music” on hip radio stations. If you can do this, that’s really something. Something useless, probably, but it will make you feel better about yourself and your closet hipness.

For bonus points – who’s the French sensation, a movie star, with a singer/composer for a father (who himself is more known for an interesting video with Brigitte Bardot), and with a very solid recent album? Answer here, and listen here. Sorry – it’s 5:55 – gotta go.

Had interviews with four different companies today!  Then came home and finished the basic house-cleaning on the blog.

Hope you’re enjoying the digs now. Will have to find some great widgets for WordPress and get the flickr one turned on as well. Please let me know if you have any ideas on the widgets you would like to see.

By the way – if you like Rufus, he was live on KEXP here locally today supporting his latest album and tour. He performed one of my favorite songs from an old album: “The Art Teacher”. You can hear/see another live set from 2004 with that song on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic.  Check out some of his songs from the new album.

I am no longer amazed that most good artists are more to my liking live. I say the “good” part on purpose. Many over-produced artists with badly written songs sound horrible with just a piano and the vocals, and to me that’s the true test: one instrument, or maybe even a capela.

Just heard a great biting track (Courtesy of Garth Trinidad, who has been rocking my nights for more years than I (or he, more than likely) would like to admit.

As far as making me laugh, it ranks right up there with Pato Banton’s “I do not sniff na coke, I only smoke. . .” (as an aside, I will soon post about Pato – I am a huge General Public fan, and Pato has a very interesting story with some twists. . .)

Take a listen to Benjamin Zephaniah’s Superstar, off of his Naked Album.

Garth – better hook up that website my man. . .