In the city

Manishevitz were another of those also-ran bands from the early-'00s indie rock sweepstakes that populate my record collection more than I would've thought. Bummer, because aside from the obvious Bryan Ferry meets Mark E. Smith vocal tics, these guys had a nice little sound going. Their City Life album is worth your 40 minutes, and this cut makes me happy a lot. Talking barroom-style piano adorning an urbane shuffle. And just plain good songwriting.

Manishevitz - City Life

They're playing our song

Whether you love or hate David Sylvian's voice, you've got to hand it to Japan. It ain't easy to be all dark romance, late Cold War continental rainy day music with a fretless bass slinking through it all. There are times when I think songs like this represent the peak of refinement. Or at least set a bar that the 1980s mostly failed to vault over.

Japan - My New Career