Gladys Knight & The Pips - "I've Got To Use My Imagination": "Miss Knight gives it to you rough and the Pips give it to you smooth. The music is taut, using lush strings and horns in what is largely an economic arrangement, all as a perfect stage for Gladys' raw-but-strong lead vocals."
Servotron - "I Am Not A (Voice Activated Child Identicon)": "Following up on yesterday's 'robot' track, here's another. This time, evil-Devo-on-speed rockers Servotron become a murderous version of pre-teen humanoid robot Vicki from television's "Small Wonder" - now plotting the death of all humans, chanting "HARRIET TERMINATED! HARRIET SHALL DIE!" while hunting the show's precocious red-headed neighbor. Twisted and brilliant."
Royksopp - "The Girl And The Robot": "Pulsing Giorgio Moroder synths back Robyn's glorious vocals for a tale of girl-on-metaphorical-robot love and drama. I don't like the way she says the song title, for some reason, but everything else sounds terrific."
Culture Club - "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me": "I will always love the video for this song, where Boy George:
- emerges out of a pool completely dry!
- wears a shirt with Hebrew on it, but only to be different!
- is thrown into jail after harassing stuffy old rich men for some reason or another!
- is then freed from jail by 'magical' Caribbean women who open his cell by simply holding onto his cell bars and dancing. Boy helps by looking at them and pouting.
Then again, he is hurt.
Of course, it helps that this is a great song, equal parts soul and pop, with a touch of island rhythm."
I Was a King - "Norman Bleik": "This album reminds me of Olivia Tremor Control's retro vibes turned back in a more straight-forward manner, but this song specifically echoes 60s California pop, with its Byrds-y jangling and energetically hushed androgynous vocals."
Messiah - "Temple Of Dreams": Remember when rave culture seemed like the biggest trend ever? This song can't help but make me think of that time, but also listening to KROQ in LA, circa `92. I'm pretty sure the "stomp your feet" sample is the 'Spirit Child' from Prince's Lovesexy album, but the real sample gem is - obviously - Richard Dawson from The Running Man movie. Survey says 'awesome'."
The Human League - "The Lebanon (12" Extended Mix)": "I know that I've already posted about "The Lebanon" before, but this version is even more Lebanon-y than the original - which means a few extra go-arounds of the bass line that I love so well."
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