It's feeling a lot like the '80s! For some of us middle-aged folks, that's a very good thing, indeed! This week's edition of The Amazon MP3 Download newsletter included three free gems with a bit of an '80s music vibe:
Dragonette, "Pick Up the Phone"
This song is my favorite track of the week, and could've easily seen wide air-play in the '80s. It's just really listenable. The lyrics had my gaydar bleeping, and the video only served to reinforce the alarm. The video for the band's "I Get Around", on the other hand, eliminates the need for gaydar, altogether. To echo Sarah Warn at AfterEllen:
Sadly, lead singer Martina is married to the bass player, Dan, so she's not actually gay in real life. Nor is she a champion tennis player. But the video is hot and pro-lesbian, so I'm willing to overlook that detail.
Visit Dragonette's official site here or check out more songs on their MySpace page.Skinny Puppy, "Chainsaw"
These guys are actually from the '80s. I'm one of those people who had heard of, but never actually heard, Skinny Puppy. Think New Order, but with growly, gravelly, more-industrial and less-melodic vocals. And power tools.
Ghostape, "Many Stars (Ste Mix)"
I really want to pronounce that "ghost tape" and not "ghost ape", but whatever. I downloaded this primarily because there are some unusual sounds in the track. I'm just that easy. The remix is a bet repetitive, but there's enough good in it to make me wonder what the original version of the song sounds like, beyond the few seconds that Amazon provides by way of a sample. This song has a sleepier vibe than the other two. Great for when your tired from dancing to the first one and being angry with the second.
