I decided to visit the remains of the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fair in Queens. It was a gloomy day, about to thunderstorm, and with planes constantly overhead because of nearby La Guardia, it felt kinda post-apocalyptic. A good opportunity for me to listen to Franco Battiato, whom my friend Jeremy recommended to me. Franco seems to be a major figure in Italian music, and I know basically nothing about him, so I won’t bother misinforming you. All I know is that I really love his 1981 album La Voce del Padrone and it’s Enoish nostalgia perfectly suited the environment. I liked imagining that it was hundreds of years from now, and this was the only album that still remained from before the badness. Cuccurucucu will eventually be the only artifact we have of the original rock classics it references. Oh humanity, what dreams you once dreamt (see Unisphere below).

I’m currently on vacation in NYC, having a great time. Lots of New York-related songs constantly running through my head, but nothing can stop “Empire State of Mind,” which I obviously love but it’s becoming a problem. Now that I’m back to my laptop, I can purge it with a bit of Marshall Crenshaw, a Michigan-born power-popper from the 80s. I’m only familiar with Crenshaw’s first album (self-titled), but it’s amazing, so many catchy songs it’s hard to believe it isn’t considered a universal classic. Have a listen. Perhaps more NYC-themed posts to come!

Chaz Jankel (aka Chas or Charles Jankel) is an English funk/disco singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter who did most of his work in the 1980s. I started listening to his stuff a few months ago, and these extended uber-funky disco jams haven’t left my tapedeck since. It’s so good I’m astonished that I hadn’t heard about him earlier. He’s got a gift for pop hooks and extremely danceable rhythms, but there’s still plenty of mutant weirdness in the mix here and there. Before he went solo, Chaz was a member of Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and co-wrote many of their hits. Also, Quincy Jones would have a hit covering “Ai No Corrida”, a song Chaz wrote and first recorded in 1980. Apparently he’s released a few more albums this decade, but I haven’t heard anything from them.

I’ve chosen only a couple of songs to feature, but if you like what you hear, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of You’re My Occupation, a great compilation providing an overview of his work in the ’80s. There’s a few other singles there that are just as good as what I’ve posted above, including “You’re My Occupation,” “Number One,” and the aforementioned “Ai No Corrida.” CD copies seem to be out of print, but it’s digitally available through iTunes, Amazon, and eMusic.

Also, today Ariel Pink announced that his new album Before Today will be released on June 8. If you haven’t heard it yet, check out the first single “Round and Round”, one of the year’s best songs so far. Like last year’s “Can’t Hear My Eyes,” he continues to tone down the more abrasive elements of his production, but to good effect.

The Selmanaires

Back in late October, I got to see Broadcast for the first time, at Lee’s Palace. The opening band that night was a group from Atlanta called The Selmanaires. I had never encountered their music before, but they basically stole the show. Impeccably tight and confident musicians, their music switched from genre to genre, sometimes in a single song. Generally I’d say their sound centered around electronic psych-rock, veering occasionally into disco-ish territory.

I spoke a bit with a couple of the members of the band and they were really nice, and extremely happy to be on tour with the legendary Broadcast. They were doing double-duty that night, performing in Atlas Sound as Bradford Cox’s backing musicians. Their most recent release is a lengthy EP called Tempo Temporal and it’s fantastic. The whole thing is streaming and purchasable on their myspace. I think I like the second half best: “Spun From Witch’s Daughter” has a great C.A. Quintet feel, “Deep Sleep” reminds me of the Talking Heads, and it finishes with the hugely epic “Vacant Land”, which was probably the highlight of their live show. The EP is great, the live show is even better. I can’t wait until I can see them again.

Here’s my favourite track from the EP:

Sinn Sisamouth

They also have a blog, wherein they introduced me to Cambodia’s most famous singer from the 1950s-70s, Sinn Sisamouth. His voice is amazingly haunting, and the production quality of the music (which I’ll guess has been affected by numerous tape transfers) has a really cool feel. Here’s his killer take on “A Hard Day’s Night.” I’ve managed to track down a couple of compilations of Cambodian music of the era, and they’re incredible. I have got to find more.