Permanent blizzard dance party

I wouldn't have thought that Patrick Cowley's Hi-NRG stylings would pair well with the daily trudge through snowdrifts and the eerie quiet that these snowfalls bring each morning. Satie-style sparseness...sure. But full-on synthtastic, sweaty disco delirium? Well, that's why they play the games. I may just have to leave this track on repeat all winter long.
  

Patrick Cowley — Invasion

Abba zabba

I like to think of myself as a pretty eclectic listener. And yet I could never squeeze much enjoyment out of Abba. If there's a variety of cheese I can't gobble up, it's them. So imagine my happy surprise when I recently stumbled on singer Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad's post-Abba solo album, produced by Phil Collins, and bearing nearly all of his early-'80s hallmarks that I enjoy entirely without reservation. The album is a mixed bag of pop approaches, most of which are weirdly flawed. But as batches of half-successes go, it's a pretty addictive listen. Especially this tasty niblet of regatta de blanc, with groovy guitar/organ call and response and Collins's very airdrum-worthy turn at the kit. God bless that man's left foot.

Frida — I See Red

Plastic Japan

Here is one of the aforementioned sounds that has kept in steady orbiting my head the last few months. Sylvian unveiled his solo career with a little help and a lot of inspiration from Ryuichi Sakamoto. His post-Japan work may have gotten lost in a sea of caramel over-trilling, but his first few years were right stylish and still quite easy on the ears. Another triumph of familiar placelessness.

David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto — Bamboo Houses (remix)

Chirpy new year

Happy new year to everyone who is inclined toward Rosh Hashanah. If a new year is like a new morning, then this is a tune that fits. Full of chirp and flutter, it's great for the first steps out of the house. And for general moments of unspoiled optimism.

Bill Nelson - Hope For The Heartbeat

Vanish in a tragical way

From hypersexual glam to pretty nonsexual and definitively non-glam. Mike Oldfield may occupy one of the dweebier regions of the musical starry night, but I'm drawn to him the way you might be drawn to the brainy, gawky cousin you see hanging out alone at the family reunion. This song is his attempt at pop, and I'm trying to visualize the faces of the British kids bopping around to it in their early '80s bedrooms.

Mike Oldfield - Mistake

Burn the feel

There's a part of my head where it's always 1982 and electrofunk soundtracks moments both great and small. This tune represents a few characteristic minutes in that world. Sure it's a party jam, but I can't help but find the music moving. Which is weird, I admit. As for the upper case "k"s in the middle of her name...you got me.

JaKKi - Got Me Burnin' Up

You can dress nautical

I'm in the midst of a Sparks obsession. Which means simultaneous absorbing of all their phases — including the unique successes and boisterous failures. I find myself gravitating to their twisted New Wave period, but of course, those glam records are irresistible too. And I'm still not getting tired of Russell Mael's voice, which maybe should be alarming. I suspect this will not be their last tune up on the 'blague.

Sparks - Angst In My Pants

A to zinc

Art is sweet escape when it's got a landscape of cheepnis to rise above. And chintziness feels great when it's a breath of fresh air outside the suffocating salons of aesthetic refinement. It's all about balance. Which is to say, I'm in the mood for a tacky groove. As tacky as the heels, leg tan, and skirt slipping out of the taxi above. As necessary as the slap bass and saxophone that messes with all sense of right and wrong. Listening to this song, I can't shake mental images of Danny DeVito in a slapstick huff n' puff all across the screen. And no complaints about that.

Zinc - I'll Never Stop

When I make you mine

Like I said, when Marvin's got you in his web, there's nothing to do but lay back and enjoy the vocal silk. I noted that I most enjoy his lasciviousness when paired with fairly dubious claims of piety and vice versa. There's not much God talk in this one; it's all about getting down to business. And what with me getting married in a mere 2 days (!!), I think the tender lechery of this track makes a fine transition to the tenderness of a wedded life.

In nerdier matters, I still can't decide if I prefer the awesomely basic drum machine and plastic guitar picking of the album version (where he does actually thank Jesus for no particular reason) or this more fleshy one here. Why should a man have to choose?

Marvin Gaye - My Love Is Waiting

Spazzy awakening

Finally starting to feel like myself again after a long sickweek. Like shaking the blood back into a leg that's been asleep, it's a burst of awkward energy. Here's a song to match that spazzy awakening, courtesy of some Spanish synthpoppers who were probably never mistaken for anyone famous.

Metal y Ca - El Ultimo Superviviente

Eight ways home

Ah, the romance of the focus group. The dark room, the unseen gazing, the endless M&Ms and stale coffee. If you're going to be trapped in two-way mirror purgatory (or is it one-way?), you may as well try to put yourself the nocturnal cityscape of your mind's escape, here performed by an 8-piece ensemble with more talent than could probably have fit in the studio.

David Murray Octet - Home

Crafty guitarists

It could've been an '80s teen movie. Loner art class introvert Fripp finally steps out of his shell and befriends popular Andy, whose band has all the girls swooning for their blond locks. They hang out after school, find surprising items their record collections have in common, and get around to some light petting (ie, they turn on the tape machine). Of course, the reality blurs these caricatures (they're both total dorks, as were the Police and King Crimson overall), but the narrative is appealing enough. Nothing earth-shattering about their early-'80s collaboration, but their little guitar bromance actually yielded some nice sketches under the guise of musical R&D. As partnerships go, it was a short-lived dalliance. Oh well, they could've made a nice couple.

Andy Summers & Robert Fripp - Hardy Country

I and this guy

Nothing like a little Wednesday Alan Parsons to seriously up the dweeb quotient of your week. Whatever your viewpoint on this kind of AOR slickness, you have to give them credit for keeping some genuine funkiness in what could've been the stiffest of studio products. Props to them also for providing the timeless soundtrack for starting lineup announcements at NBA games. Having enjoyed such an event up close last night (and, wow, the Toronto Raptors need not only good players, but also a name change), I'm also feeling these guys in the sweet spring air as well. Mr. Parsons's Eye in the Sky gently winks in your direction.

The Alan Parsons Project - Step By Step

Elements

Some music is made great by great construction, its parts so effortlessly intertwined that you could never imagine them disassembled or reorganized. And some music is cool for just the opposite reason. You admire the textures and materials, each under their own microscope. The decisions feel like suggestions rather than glue. And so your brain plays with it, Rubik's Cube style. That's what's going for me with this one. That is, when I'm not spooked by the album cover, in which Klaus resembles a drunk former boss of mine who had a fairly unbelievable Scottish brogue. But that's something for another song.

Klaus Krüger - Deutschland

Express train

It really is a shame that many people default to the '70s when they think about funky music. More often than not, it's the taut, mechanical bounce of '80s grooves that puts the silly looks on my face. And that's before we even get to those heavenly pitch bends and break dance magic. Here's a track that suffers from none of the dubious authenticity of yesterday's. A hot chestnut from days of block parties past. Also a total short-lister for my wedding dance party soundtrack.

D Train - You're The One For Me

Homo superior

Some bands make you believe they can do just about anything. And some rock bands make you believe that rock n' roll has the genetic juice to evolve into a higher state of exquisite being.

There were plenty of innovations in the post-punk era, but few bands took the punk snarl and made such beautiful, jagged, and surreal permutations as the Homosexuals. I could've randomly chosen any song from their catalog to illustrate, but this has been acting as one of my mental anthems for some years now. Never fails to wrap me in astral glamour.

The Homosexuals - Vociferous Slam

My signals in your brain

Having recently come across this Television-esque band from Norway, I'm reminded why groups aped this sound so thoroughly throughout the 'aughts. But these sadly unheralded guys got everything right about this aesthetic back in their day — zippy, angular, nice Gary Numan-like synth warbles, and in no hurry to get through it. Somehow, I continue to be a sucker for oh-so-serious voices like this.

The Cut - Atmospheres

Analog space suits

Too much vying for my attention here on Earth. May as well take a little mental sojourn into space. The French-speaking part of it, at least. Check that album cover. Can I get that keyboard stand?

Benoit Hutin - Travelling

Who's that on my radio?

Happy MLK Day. Hopefully, you're enjoying a day off, appreciating the gift of your civil rights. And on a much shallower level—albeit one full of easy, immediate pleasures—hope you appreciate this excellent power pop nugget. Thanks to Mark Prindle for making me aware of these guys' existence. No mean feat. Apparently, the pinnacle of their stardom involved a spot on MTV's New Years Ball to usher in 1983. We all have dreams.

The Producers - She Sheila

Claustrophobia

Your dreams are haunted by claustrophobic landscapes. The city closes in around you, and you find yourself running for daylight and yet also compelled to caterwaul with oxygen you really can't afford to waste. The camera pans out and your narrative eye suddenly recognizes that the scene is all made of Lego. Here's a good song to listen to you as you contemplate what's wrong with your life.

Zoo-Z - Skylines