Flashback Friday: Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach



"My job is very boring, I'm an office clerk"

Martha & The Muffins was a Canadian new wave group that existed in the 70's and 80's under different guises. I discovered this single very randomly awhile ago and the next day it played on the 80's channel on Sirius radio. It was very strange. It was also very infectious, though, and I find myself singing along with the chorus everytime I hear it. I can't help think that this song would fit perfectly on Sahara Hotnights' newest album. I think it's the saxophone and vocals. It all sounds very "now," even though it's over twenty years old. (Bonus observation: doesn't the band name sound like the title for a Martha Stewart episode?)

Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)

Amy Meredith - This War

"You try to move in the light"

I've got another in the long line of 80's inspired Australian bands today. This time it's Amy Meredith, which indeed is a band despite using a girl's name as their monikor. The song This War isn't going to start any joy-induced riots, but it's a pretty nice sounding radio track that I could see having some success in its homeland. They've got a show coming up with The Bravery and Van She, and I'd say if you like either of those groups you'll like Amy Meredith as well. I would definitely recommend listening to Black Eyes (off their soon to debut EP) on their myspace as well because it's quite nice and actually sounds a bit indie-Swedish in some ways.

Amy Meredith - This War (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Listen to more here.)

The Virgins - Rich Girl

"I'll tell you anything I know"

The Virgins are obvious admirers of Hall & Oates (even this song shares a name with an H&O classic), which is evidenced by the soulful pop sound of Rich Girl. It's the consummate summer pop song, easing along on a perfect groove until it explodes into an amazingly catchy chorus. Imagine the space between Maroon Five and Under The Influence Of Giants and that's where these guys fit in. Their name is a little silly (I sometimes wonder if all these "the" bands just point to a random word in the dictionary, put a "the" in front of it, and call it good) but with this track they've got a potentially massive hit on their hands. The rest of their stuff I've heard doesn't really sound as radio friendly (or as good), but if they can build on this they could very well be huge.

The Virgins - Rich Girl (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Listen to more here.)

MGMT vs Daft Punk - One More Time to Pretend (Immuzikation Remix)

"We're fated to pretend one more time"

I rarely post remixes here and I've never posted a mash-up, but there's a first time for everything and this track definitely deserves to be the first. MGMT's Time To Pretend is one of the best tracks out this year and I've been thrilled with the success it's garnered since I posted it on this blog late last year. In this brilliant mash-up, it's been paired with Daft Punk's classic One More Time, and the interaction between the two tracks is just perfect. It's a mash-up in the truest sense of the word, not just one track's vocals played over another's beat. Also, posting this gives me another opportunity to let you know about the fantastic MGMT album that came out a few months ago. If you don't have it already, you definitely need it because it is an amazing listen.

MGMT vs Daft Punk - One More Time to Pretend (Immuzikation Remix) (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the MGMT album here.)

Hey, look! Popjustice has just discovered Alienhits favs Daggers! Here's hoping this helps lead to a record deal and an album because I need one now.

Delays - The Earth Gave Me You

"I can prove there's more than light in your eyes"

Delays continue their unbroken pattern of releasing perfect (perfectperfectperfect) albums with Everything's the Rush today in the UK. The album isn't a huge departure from past efforts, though their are more vocals by Aaron this time rather than Greg. I was worried about this (and still don't 100% approve) but it turned out not to matter at all when it comes to quality. The album is beyond brilliant (though their peak will probably always be You See Colours, my favorite album of 2006) and I could easily pick so many songs as my favorites. The Earth Gave Me You, though, sticks out above the rest, even though it's tagged on as a "bonus track" (think of it as an encore instead, as it closes the album perfectly). I like to think of it as Valentine Part II because it's by far the most falsetto-ey of the bunch and it even follows a similar musical structure. Bottom line, however, is that it's a gorgeous, perfect summer pop song, the kind that Delays do best. It is impossible to ignore this kind of music. Go buy their album because they are not getting the love that they should be. I already got mine at amazon for the very reasonable import price of seventeen bucks (minus vat and including shipping!).

Delays - The Earth Gave Me You (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists! Buy the album here.)