Computer Love

and we're closed. again.

2009-08-31T14:26:00.001-07:00

i am sorry to say that i have decided to close this blog. unfortunately, the blog never found focus or gained traction.

however, i do have another blog project in the works and i will post details as soon as i get it up and running.

thanks for reading!

Computer Love

99.9 F

2009-07-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

ok, so i know the Tears for Fears concert review is super late and that i am lame. my only excuse is that it's really really hot here and i don't have AC. in other words, i don't really feel like spending a lot of time in front of the computer. in the meantime, i thought i would drag out a classic track from the early '90s. this is one of the few tracks from Suzanne Vega i really enjoy and it's perfect for a hot day.

Kleerup finally available in America!

2009-07-22T09:40:00.001-07:00

i have been waiting and waiting for Kleerup's 'Longing for Lullabies' to be made available here in the USA. it has finally arrived and is available on iTunes.

Friday wrap-up

2009-07-10T11:42:00.001-07:00

New releases this week Computer Love has its eyes on

Arthur and Martha – Navigation

The debut album from Arthur and Martha, Navigation, is out this week on Happy Robot Records. Computer Love is planning a review of this album for next week. In the meantime, let's just say it's been on heavy rotation in the iPod machine.

Marsheaux – Lumineux Noir

Hands down, this album has been the most highly anticipated album of 2009 here at Computer Love. Lumineux Noir is out now and I'll post my thoughts on the album after I've had a chance to jump in the car, drive around aimlessly and spin it a few hundred times.

News, etc.

Pet Shop Boys – Happy Birthday to Neil Tennant today. Pet Shop Boys have been a huge part of my life and Neil has been a big influence on me. I can still remember the days when my sister and I would spend hours in front of the radio waiting for the DJ to play 'Opportunities (Let's make lots of money)'. Years later, I can remember unwrapping a Christmas gift from my sister only to discover she had purchased 'Behaviour' for me. To this day, 'Behaviour' remains my favorite album.

When Discography, the first complete singles collection, was released I remember my entire family sitting around the living room reading the liner notes and selecting songs to play based upon what Neil and Chris had written in the notes. 'DJ Culture' was requested by my mother, and my dad kept wanting to hear 'Always on my mind' and 'Where the streets have no name' because he was an Elvis and Frankie Valli fan.

Next came 'Very' with it's ultra-bright orange packaging that sort of looks like a giant leggo. I remember picking it up at Tower Records, holding it tightly and being mesmerized by it. Truth be told, I thought the packaging was ugly upon first glance, but since then, it remains my favorite CD packaging to date. Nothing surpasses its originality, and the music is pretty damn good, too.

I returned to the same Tower Records to purchase 'Bilingual'. It remains the one PSB album that disappoints me ever so slightly. The music is there, but the record lacks cohesion. With that said, for years I disliked the song 'Single-Bilingual' but now I think the track has aged beautifully and is a great example of just how diverse Pet Shop Boys really are.

By the time 'Nightlife' came along, I was managing a music store so it was my mission to do everything in my power to promote this record. 'Nightlife' contains a song that one could argue is the best song the boys have ever recorded, 'You only tell me you love me when your drunk'. If that song doesn't move you, I don't know what will.

'Release' is probably the most underrated album the boys have released; it's also one of their most beautiful. In fact, I've heard it described as 'the best album The Smiths never made'. 'Release' showcases the boys straying from their electronic roots in favor of guitar-driven pop. I took a road trip along the Oregon Coast with my partner when 'Release' came out and the album was our soundtrack for the trip. I can still picture us driving along sandy beaches with 'The Samurai in autumn' playing in the background; nothing else could have been better.

Pet Shop Boys entered my life again in a totally new way at London's Trafalgar Square a couple years later. We were at Trafalgar to see the boys' debut performance of their soundtrack to Battleship Potemkin. It was a rainy London night, but we hunkered down in the Square with thousands and thousands of fans from all over the globe to witness this never before seen event. Some nights are truly magical, some nights you never forget. This was one of those nights.

Fundamental was released at the height of the George Bush era, and this new album by the boys echoed the frustrations and cries for justice that could be heard all over the world. The album's lead single, 'I'm with stupid' was often stuck on repeat on the iPod machine, and I still spin it quite frequently. Fundamental also marked a return to Seattle for the boys. PBS had not played live in Seattle for something like 20 years. The show was amazing – another evening I will never forget.

That brings us up to 'Yes', which was released in March of this year. Many critics are hailing it as the best PSB album since 'Very'. For me, the album's meaning is much more deep and personal. The album was released during my mother's final days, and every day I would listen to 'Yes' going to and from the hospital to see her. The uplifting, positive vibe of this record helped give me the strength I needed to be there for her. For that, I will always be thankful for having this record to fall back on during difficult times.

Thank you Neil and Chris for bringing such wonderful music and memories into my life and lives of many people. Here's to the glorious future of Pet Shop Boys; Happy Birthday, Neil!

The girl and the robot

2009-07-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

This song is currently in heavy rotation in my iPod. Everything about it works well, and Robyn's vocals add a layer of depth and emotion to the amazing electronic soundscape Royksopp have created.

The girl and the robot is featured on the Royksopp album 'Junior' and is availalbe now at fine record stores everywhere and iTunes. Embedding of the video for this song has been disabled by request. Click here to watch it.

La Roux

2009-07-08T16:56:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit critical when it comes to La Roux. It's not that I dislike their music, but I can't help but feeling that I've heard this type of music before, and I've heard it done better. Even the image seems like a Visage knock-off to me. With La Roux, it's definitely the '80s all over again, but is the translation a bit too literal? I'm still not sure.

With that said, there are a number of things I do like about La Roux. For starters, even though their image is recycled, it's refreshing to see a female-fronted pop duo that hasn't succumbed to sexually exploiting themselves simply to sell records. Instead, front woman Elly Jackson has shown the pop world (and younger women) that non-conformity is ultimately more sexy and appealing than the standard. I also like La Roux because they are bringing electronic music to a new generation – that's good. It's been far too long since we've had a young pop star popularize electronic music, and I am happy La Roux are doing it.

If you live in the Seattle area, La Roux will be playing at Chop Suey on 28 July and I plan on attending. Hopefully seeing the show will give me more insight into this duo and I will learn more about what La Roux is all about.

Click here to see La Roux's video for their #1 UK hit, Bulletproof - it's like my Trapper Keeper from high school exploded all over the set for this video. Seriously.

Friday wrap-up

2009-07-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, just wanted to share a few quick notes today:

It's the beginning of the 4th of July weekend here in the United States, so happy Independence Day to all our American readers. While we're at it, happy belated Canada Day (July 1st) to our friends in Canada.

Kovak: There appears to be some line-up changes in the Kovak camp. From what I can gather, Abby Harmony has left the band and singer Annelies Van De Velde has taken over as lead singer. You will be missed, Abby. I hope all is well with Abby and Kovak and wish Annelies the best of luck. After all, I can't think of a name that is more fantastic and rock star sounding than Annelies Van De Velde! Kovak's debut album, Heroes and High Heels is out now and available at fine record stores everywhere.

Tears for Fears: I am happy to announce that I will be attending a Tears for Fears concert next week. Not only did Tears for Fears rock out some of the hottest mullets from my youth (business up front, party in the back), but their music plays like a soundtrack to my childhood: that is until my parents sold my Tears for Fears records at a garage sale without telling me. But I'm not bitter. Anyway, I'll be sure to write a review of the show and hopefully post a few pictures. I must confess that the show will be held at a winery, so the prospects of the show being bad are simply nonexistent.

Marsheaux: Marsheaux's new album, Lumineux Noir is out now in just about every global territory except the United States – why are we always last? If you live in the US, you can pre-order Lumineux Noir on iTunes; expected release date is 10 July.

Site Updates: I am stewing around some ideas for this site – one of which is setting up a Twitter account and linking it to the blog. The problem is, I kinda loathe Twitter and 'tweets' and 'twotes': I just think it all sounds kinda dirty and solicitous and not in a good way. I'll keep you posted, and if you have any ideas, pass them along.

Have a great weekend everyone,

xxx
Computer Love

Music for hairproducts

2009-07-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

When I stumbled across the electronic duo of Arthur and Martha the first thing I noticed was their EP titled 'Music for Hairproducts'. Right then, based on the name alone, I knew I had found something special and unique. I then took notice of the cover art for the EP : it features the duo (I think) in outfits that would have proudly graced the cover of any early '70s fashion magazine – eat your hearts out Greg and Marica Brady! I was instantly thrown into a nostalgic mood with visions of my mother's old Butterick pattern books and Aqua-net hair spray flashing before my eyes. I then thought of the Greg and Marica paper dolls my sister and I used to play with and a smile graced my face.

I turned the music on and my ears were instantly greeted with the familiar, glorious sounds of analog blips, saws, pads and classic drum machine beats. What I heard took me back to the days of early OMD, but with a modern-let's-style-some-hair twist. 'I can't come out tonight, I've got to get this color right' is the lyric that stands out the most to me in this track – it amuses me greatly, but I think it's also a very trenchant observation on unrealistic Western beauty standards and social pressures to have perfect bodies.

As a side note, I highly recommend the book 'Bodies' by Susie Orbach – it's a fantastic look into beauty conventions and how Western beauty standards have created a booming plastic surgery industry.

But back to Arthur and Martha: their debut album will be called 'Navigation'. I can only assume this is a nod to the classic OMD albums, Dazzle Ships and Architecture and Morality (which might explain why their music reminds me of OMD). Arthur and Martha are Adam Cresswell and Alice Hubley. Navigation will be released on 6 July in the UK – I'm not sure if this is also a global release date.

http://www.myspace.com/arthurandmartha

And we're back!

2009-07-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since my last post, and I have good reasons for my departure. Without getting too personal or going into much detail, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer around the time of my last post. Since I was one of her primary care givers, my time was best spent focused on her, so I abandoned my blog. However, I have decided to start the blog up once again - so let's get the party started!

Over the last couple weeks my sister and I have been busy getting our mom's house ready to sell. In that process I noticed her singing way too many Lady GaGa and Justin Timberlake songs than any self-respecting person has the right to do. So I have been busily compiling a mix for her of some of my favorite pop songs.

A little JT and GaGa are fine in my opinion, but when the last year has produced a wealth of fantastic pop music, I feel that I must show my sister the way...and although I have been away from my blog, I have not stopped keeping notes on some of the great acts that have made this past year an amazing one for anybody who loves electronic music. Many of the artists I turned to when I decided to make a mix for my sister helped make this past year so great: Pet Shop Boys, La Roux, Kovak, Katsen and so many more.

But for now, I want to talk about Katsen. Nobody has been waiting more impatiently than me for the release of Katsen's music, and I am happy to report that I know of at least two Katsen songs that can be purchased: 'Constellation' is featured on the 'BotPop Vol. 1' CD (also available on iTunes USA and probably iTunes UK) and 'Where Nobody Can Find Us' is on the CD 'Electronically Yours Vol. 1. My copy of EY Vol. 1 has yet to arrive, so my sister will be treated to 'Constellation' on her mix. Constellation is a great track and it has been on repeat on my iPod for the past few days.

This morning I went to Katsen's myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/katsenbeeps) seeing if I could find news of a debut album release, but didn't see any news (Christopher and Donna, if you're reading, your American fans want to know when we can expect an album!) but I was treated to a host of videos that I had not yet seen. I have added here 'Let's Build a City'. The video is very creative, and both Christopher and Donna exude a fun (and even adorable if I do say so), accessible energy that helps make Katsen one of my favorite electro newcomers...they also have pictures of cats playing keyboards on their youtube page - gotta love that!

Here comes the rain again....

2008-07-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

With various wildfires in my country burning an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, it turns out that that news isn't sensational enough for those in the ratings game - now we have to waste tax payer dollars on air drops to make them even more sensational for the six o'clock news. Click on the image for a link the LA Times article on 'CNN Drops'.

Riviera F

2008-07-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last night I was supposed to go see a production of Grease at Tacoma Musical Playhouse. However, due to a ticket mix-up, that didn't happen and the musical will be seen today instead. After briefly debating if a trip to the wine bar was in order, it was decided that spending some time at home sounded more enjoyable. What happened then was another potentially great musical discovery: Riviera F.

After stumbling upon their myspace page, the song 'International Lover' grabbed me right away. It has an early '80s feel to it with obvious influences from Duran Duran's eponymous debut and Rio albums. Given that both of those records are New Wave classics, to hear hints of them on 'International Lover' was quite a joy. After sampling a few more of Riviera F's songs, it was 'International Lover' that received the most spins and head bopping.

Unable to get Riviera F out of my head, research on them continued this morning - a visit to their official website was in order. To offer a brief history, the band was formed when Russian born singer Alexa Marlen and Dutch guitarist Kairo Sin met at a London art college. Initially they recorded demo tracks using a casio keyboard and a simple drum machine. Over time their sound developed - Logan Sky was added to the lineup of the band and more instruments were brought into the mix.

Now here is the interesting part: after a chance meeting with Duran Duran keyboard player Nick Rhodes, (there seems to be a lot of those 'chance meetings' in the world of music, doesn't there?) Rhodes signed as on as producer of Riviera F's debut release which just happens to be 'International Lover'. As it turns out, all those connections between their music and Duran Duran's music are there for a very good reason, indeed!

As far we here at Computer Love can tell, the girls are busy promoting their latest release, the brilliant 'Now we've got Europe' which you can hear on their myspace page. However, we've decided to post the video for the song that was our first glimpse into the world of Riviera F - International Lover.

Katsen gives Computer Love some lovin'

2008-07-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to toot my own horn: today I noticed that Katsen mentioned this little blog of mine on their myspace page. To have them notice my posting about their music is really quite an honor; I am very tickled to know that Katsen took the time to read my blog (and acknowledge it!). This is even more exciting for me since I am still new to the blogosphere and I want to do my part to promote great electronic bands such as Katsen. Since Katsen made mention of this blog, traffic to this space has greatly increased. So, a big thank you to Katsen and the folks at Electronically Yours for taking notice. Hold on tight, this ride known as Computer Love has just begun!

Starcluster ft. Marc Almond

2008-07-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Starcluster is another band that is new to me. I learned of them whilst reading the official Marsheaux forum; there is a section on that forum dedicated to new electronic bands, and Starcluster was mentioned by one of the forum users. After taking one listen of their song 'Smoke and Mirrors' which features the brilliant Marc Almond on vocals, I knew I had to buy the song. After a bit of hunting online, I found 'Smoke and Mirrors' on iTunes bundled with two other tracks and various remixes of 'Smoke and Mirrors'. Remixes, in general, do nothing for me, but I have to say that even the remixes of this song turn me on. There is definitely a huge Kraftwerk influence in their music - which is never a bad thing, is it? I highly encourage everyone to check out Starcluster.

Enjoy!

Introducting Katsen

2008-07-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

There is a good reason why Electronically Yours is one of my favorite websites - their taste in music is right up my alley. Their latest feature is a band from Brighton called Katsen. Their debut video is a song called 'Where nobody can find us'. I think it's brilliant - amazing even. Enjoy!

Worst Song Ever?

2008-07-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my previous post, some pop music is just shamelessly bad. Enter Supersister. I discovered this song while reading Northern Kind's blog and was both amused and horrified by it.

Being that I live in the Seattle area, I can't help but think that Starbucks should consider using this track in a promo add - maybe that would help turn their profits around...

I Like You Girl!

2008-07-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about pop music is that it spans the spectrum in terms of how serious artists take themselves. I recently read an Alison Moyet interview where she said 'I have no sense of immortality, and I dislike the smoke and mirrors that some acts use to cover up their extreme common mundaneity'. Too true Alison, too true.

Of course, on the opposite end of that spectrum are the trite boy and girl bands that we're all supposed to think are cute. We're supposed to have our favorite member, cut our hair like them, put posters of them on our walls, buy their records, then pretend they are serious musicians who are victims of their own mass popularity. We're also made to pretend that we are shocked (sometimes even a bit horrified) when our favorite member of a girl or boy band turns out to be gay or becomes pregnant at 14. Soccer moms across the country can be heard saying 'I thought so and so had moral values; I can't believe this!'. Or, 'so and so didn't LOOK gay!'.

My point is that the beauty of pop music is that it can be anything you want it to be - serious, trite, or all things in between. It can be intelligent and insightful, or it can be a bunch of a trashy girls or boys singing about how difficult it is to be popular in high school these days - it's your choice.

With that in mind, there is a brilliant web series on Youtube called 'Toyboize'. It chronicles the reunion of a fictional '80s child band. Enough said.

Why I'm Afraid of Grace Jones - Part One of an Infinite Series

2008-07-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

I used to think Grace Jones was kinda cool - that was between the years of 1984-86 when Grace teamed up with Duran Duran members Nick Rhodes, Simon Le Bon and Roger Taylor to record the amazing single 'Election Day' for the Arcadia album, 'So Red the Rose'. During that time, she also played a bad girl in a bond film, and did some pretty bad-ass commercials for motor bikes. Her coolness ends there.

Since then, Grace has modeled herself as not being quite human nor machine, neither male or female, neither earthling nor space creature, neither...well, you get my point: she's a freak. And, her new incarnation does little to soften her image either.

I hesitate to post her new video here, but in order to fully express my fear of her, and in the interest of not being alone in the feeling that I need to bathe after watching this video, I have no other choice but to do so.

More on Roisin Murphy

2008-07-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

(Left: Untitled Film Still by Cindy Sherman)

I was browsing through Roisin's youtube page this weekend and was delighted to learn that her video for 'You Know Me Better' was inspired by the artist Cindy Sherman. I happen to be a fan of Cindy's work, and I think Roisin's video is a good representation of Cindy's famous Untitled Film Stills.

Check out the video for 'You Know Me Better', pasted below.

Roisin Murphy

2008-07-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

O...M...G - check out this video. i just discovered it this morning while downloading HBOs 'Rome' on iTunes. Roisin Murphy is kinda great, but i'm not quite sure what to make of this video: note the lobster sequence...

Diamonds Are Forever.

2008-07-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Stop Radioactivity!

2008-07-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

(Left: Kraftwerk)

According to Wikipedia, "Kraftwerk's lyrics deal with post-war European urban life and technology—traveling by car on the Autobahn, traveling by train, using home computers, and the like. Usually, the lyrics are very minimal but reveal both an innocent celebration of, and a knowing caution about, the modern world, as well as playing an integral role in the rhythmic structure of the songs. Many of Kraftwerk's songs express the paradoxical nature of modern urban life—a strong sense of alienation existing side-by-side with a celebration of the joys of modern technology."

With recent reports saying that the North Pole will likely melt this summer, I have been doing a lot of thinking about our impact on the environment and, I've also been listening to a lot of Kraftwerk...hmmmm....I wonder if the two are connected?

No! No! No!

2008-07-01T08:11:00.001-07:00

Part of the reason why I decided to write a pop music blog is because of the countless moments in my life in which pop music has inspired me to learn. For me, music isn't just about the feeling and emotion it evokes - it's also about the subject matter of the song. Electronic music from the '80s is very appealing to me because the songs are not often about typical pop music subjects like love, sex and loss. Instead, you had people like Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark taking a different, and in my opinion, more intelligent approach to song writing. They wrote songs about Joan of Arc, Submarines and Sealand. They pioneered musical special effects with computers and keyboards but managed to make their music accessible by always being mindful of melody, rhythm and harmony.

I didn't always understand the subject matter of songs I was listening to when I was younger, but that's what made them so brilliant to me. One such song, Tesla Girls, was a huge favorite of mine when I was younger. 'What was a Tesla Girl?' I wondered. Were Tesla Girls simply groupies of the hideous American band, Tesla? Surely OMD were too classy to write about band groupies.

(above: 12" single sleeve for Tesla Girls)

So, with a little effort I plunged head first into this mystery - who were these Tesla Girls, and why were they testing out things? To my delight, I discovered that Tesla Girls is actually about the famous scientist Nikola Tesla. I learned all about his discoveries in mechanical engineering and robotics, physics, as well as the invention of the radio. I learned about his tragic fall from grace, to being labeled a 'Mad Scientist' , to dying penniless in a New York hotel. The story of Tesla is a fascinating one, and one that I would like to examine further. However, the point is that my science classes in school didn't teach me these things about Telsa - OMD taught me these things - and, they did it all with a pulsing electro beat, a soaring chorus and lots of voices singing 'No! No! No!'.

(Left: Nikola Tesla)

I'm not N'Sync with Lance Bass

2008-06-30T14:31:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend my partner made the comment that he thought Lance Bass was very 'striking'. I, in turn, said that I thought Neil Patrick Harris was rather good looking. My partner didn't agree with me, and thus a very pointless conversation surrounding the hotness factor of Lance Bass and Neil Patrick Harris began. I maintain that Lance Bass has a freakish jawline and eyes that are too small (and not to mention of a color not found in nature) for his head. In other words, he looks like your typical boy band tart. On the other hand, my partner believes that Neil Patrick Harris still looks like he never grew out of that awkward stage of puberty where your limbs are either too short or too large for your frame, and your face looks like a breeding ground for new forms of bacteria. So, in light of our discussion, I have started a poll asking you who you are N'Sync with: Lance, or Neil?

(Left: Freak of Nature Lance Bass; Right: Neil Patrick Harris)

Pet Shop Boys in the Studio

2008-06-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

The Pet Shop Boys are hard at work in the studio with production team Xenomania. The new album, which is due out in early 2009, will feature some songs co-written by the producers. I'm personally excited to hear what those collaborations sound like, as most Pet Shop Boys songs are self-penned. If we are lucky, hopefully we will have a new PSB single out before Christmas.

In other Pet Shop Boys related news, their video for the song Integral won a Cyber Lion Award at Cannes Film Festival last week.

(Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys)

Some Songs Make You Feel Alive!

2008-06-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Every now and then a song comes along that gives you such an inexplicable surge of energy that the resulting high is greater than anything you could possibly imagine. This is one of those songs for me. It's called 'Bizarre Love Duo' by Marsheaux. The energy level in this track is beyond description - just when you think it's done kicking you in the face, it gets right back up and hits you again.

Bizarre Love Duo is the second track on Marsheaux's Ghost single, which is presently available on 7" vinyl or digital download at Apple iTunes or Amazon.com.

One last note: I'm not totally sure of this, but I think the girls are making fine use of a Speak and Spell toy on this song - listen for its solo in the Middle 8 and at the very end of the track.