Argos and Nauplia

Vangelis So Long Ago, So Clear (with Jon Anderson)

Feargal Sharkey Loving You

Vangelis pairs with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson for some tuneful pleading beyond the moons of Jupiter in 1975. Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey works with Jo Callis of Human League and Roger Taylor of Queen in 1985.

Keepin' Love Fine

XYZ Dancin', Breakin', Tonight
Holy Ghost I Will Come Back

For the longest time I thought that trainspotting referred to spotting musical references and cues in songs. As the train came to be replaced by other, more dominant modes of transportation in the 20th century and the wireless radio (and the BBC?) became responsible for transmitting key cultural elements of the British identity, the same fervor and fanaticism that doddering old bachelors in Harris tweeds displayed for jotting down the numbers and schedules of trains as they passed by was extended to the world of music, and the word trainspotting was adapted to that. Trainspotting actually refers to a method of heroin injection.

I say this with all the love in my heart (because 1) I have nothing but admiration for Nick Hillhiser and Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost* and 2) I really think, as the Van Pelt said, there's no problem stealing from our favorite thieves, especially in music), but tell me there isn't a bit of a touch of Holy Ghost's I Will Come Back on XYZ' Dancin', Breakin', Tonight? Specifically the cadence and lyrical style at the opening verse. By the time the chorus pops up, however, XYZ has jumped off fully into the musical territory favored by the programmers of bumper music for early 90's sports shows.

This is the opening track from XYZ' Disco Charts Vol. 1 released in 1984, which has an absolutely , and was written by Denny Motion. Mr. Motion's previous musical credit was as the titular head of the Denny Motion Group, on a 1981 LP Small Talk. The liner notes implore you to "Let Denny Motion carry you off to his contemporary guitar land. Let him accompany you to happy, gay parties. Journey through lovely countrysides and join in with his romantic feelings, far away from dull every day life." Sure!

* The Trinity/Triune God: Father = LCD Soundsystem, Son = Juan McLean, Holy Ghost = Holy Ghost.

In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

"Clever they may be, but like all Swedes, their genius is derivative. Search, Delmore, search! Find the source!"

Yo La Tengo Everyday
The Knife Colouring Of Pigeons

Yesterday, I alluded to the nagging suspicion that the first released track from The Knife & Mt. Sims' Darwinian opera reminded me of some other song (also the Penguin Cafe Orchestra for Depressives, I remember Jack Oatmon at The Montreal Mirror comparing it to alley cat copulation), and halfway through my shower, things began to clarify for me. At first, I thought that it could have been one of the songs from Low's 2001 album Things We Lost in The Fire, but that didn't quit stick enough to make it an Eureka! moment (and as we all know, since the days of Archimedes, Eureka and bathing have been forever linked). I hummed through it a couple more times, my mind skipping a year back, and what came to mind was the above Yo La Tengo song Everyday from their 2000 album And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out.

I have a very lengthy to-do list, and for some reason, (maybe the Delmore Effect), it's nonsense like this that receives priority over the more pressing things like the Sonic Youth piece I should be finishing for the summer issue of Maisonneuve Magazine. Which is what I'm working on now.

Soundalikes

Vinter - skygge af et træ

Jan Kofod Winther

The Drifters Save The Last Dance For Me
Brian Eno Here He Comes

Sean Nicholas Savage Here She Comes!!!
Fleetwood Mac I Know I'm Not Wrong

I don't know if there's an Oblique Strategy card that says "take the verse of a popular song ten or more years old and repeat it," but either way, Eno gives us a bit of that flavour from his Before & After Science record. A little closer to home, Sean Nicholas Savage of the Silly Kissers shares some structural similarities with one of my favourite Lindsey Buckingham songs, from his swell Summer 5000 record.

Soundalikes 3: Partied Out

Candi Staton Young Hearts Run Free
The Replacements Swingin' Party
Kindness Swingin' Party

I gotta think that Paul Westerberg somehow nicked a bit of Candi Staton's Young Hearts Run Free for The Replacements' Swinging' Party. Lo-fi beach culture enthusiasts Kindness sense that, and thus bring it back to a (lazy) disco-sound by Arthur Russell-ifying it (come on, as if that's not the drum-beat from Loose Joints' Is It All Over My Face? married to some David Byrne-esque slack vocalness).

Kindness is Adam Bainbridge and like-minded collaborators, with some London & Berlin time-sharing kinda thing going on (time n' space-wise) and a cross-Atlantic take on the Washed Out/Toro y Moi sound (or it's just synchronicity)... This Replacements cover is from a new single released by the always-forward thinking Moshi Moshi label. Check out the Kindness Myspace.