For no good reason we recently bought a chocolate brown 1985 Westfalia. The purchase fell squarely into the category of vanity. This was before the gas spike this Summer and the financial meltdown of the Fall. In other words, simpler times.

The question on everyone’s lips is: What constitutes the perfect road mix for this vehicle of leisure? Have a listen.

The song cycle begins and ends with the plaintive call of a boy to a girl. The opening two tracks I associate with morning and the architecture of idealism. The first is “Thirteen” by Black Star and the second “Oh You Pretty Things” by David Bowie. Utopian design was both imagined by us and alien when brought to life. In the early twentieth century HG Wells popularized the scientific romance and in mid-century Buckminster Fuller introduced the geodesic dome. In 1951 a contractor located in the Westphalia region of Germany began converting Volkswagon vans into campers. Our model has the pop top, refrigerator, stove, swivel table, swivel passenger front seat, and sleeps four on two beds comfortably. When western society began mass marketing idealism we couldn’t know whether we were undertaking a paradigm shift or a passing novelty. Now we sit in our VW camper and laugh at the too small compartments and the full size pull-out beds and marvel that anyone ever thought of this New York studio apartment on wheels. In truth, the van steps in and out of time effortlessly like the most sublime pop song. Like Alex Chilton asking the girl to be the outlaw for his love and Bowie narrating from the future or the distant past or a far off planet. Our chosen songs say:

We want sex
We want the darkness
Our youth is our validation
We are innocent until we fail

“Lisa Says” and then “Memo From Turner” are the bridge. I first came across the latter when I was a child and among my mother’s LPs I found Jagger on the cover of “Performance” in makeup and pouty, full lips.
As the song rumbles along on a filthy lick and tells the cautionary tale of “a faggy little leather boy with a smaller piece of stick,” let us rumble along listening on our iPal speaker propped up in the passenger side glove box assured that for once everything is right and better than we imagined.

Seems de rigueur in the blogosphere to hate on Vampire Weekend lately (guess their 15 minutes of indie-darling-immunity-challenge cred are officially up) but these 3 clips from this year’s mtvU Woodie Awards show them doing what they do best. Was lukewarm on the enjoyable, but not mindblowing, fun first album. After seeing them live, though, loving this band like an LL Bean Norwegian sweater. So, is it good stuff or, as a commenter over at Brooklyn Vegan (speaking of indie cred quarters of an hour…) hilariously put it:
“(Paul Simon - Talent)* Jonas Brothers = Vampire Weekend”?

You be the judge.

PS. Here’s a little more fruit of the Chromeo / VW union for your 80snostaglicenjoyment…

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Love, FS

MTV’s got a pretty rad new site up that makes finding non crappy-ripped-from-that-VHS-tape-circa-1987-quality (coughcoughyoutube) music videos easy - and kind of fun (love the search by label and director feature.)

So, in honor of the channel that once killed the radio star (yes, I AM looking at you Boston,) please press play and enjoy. Then share and embed and digg and twitter, and all that other stuff.

Still delivers the goods (oh what, you don’t get a little shiver starting around 2:25? yeah, right.)

Have fun digging up some awesome oldies …

Ms Stern may have fallen a bit short of the world record for longest album title but it’s probably no contest that This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That will be in way heavier rotation on the trusty KLH here than Fiona’s goodbutnotquitegreat When The Pawn… LP ever was.

Before losing a few percent of hearing capacity at Knitting Factory last year with Safetybear, the vibrational match that is In Advance of the Broken Arm had been magically melting my speakers for about 6 months straight. Can not wait for UPS to show up with 180 grams of vinyly-goodness sequel.

Tass Times’ very own, and unambiguously charming, Tinto Puerco shall be joining the obliquely infamous Franklin Snarl, Esq. to celebrate their 1-year of togetherhood pseudonomically, and otherwise, at Bowery Ballroom’s presentation of the eternally entertaining Wedding Present this October. And so, for your pre-vicarious viewing pleasure, we hereby present a solid example of the unparalleled shredmastery…

…strumming so fast even YouTube’s latest codec can’t keep sync!

I’m still feeling the fascination from this song. It is, as other posters will say, “the perfect pop song”. And then the conversation turned. And many fantasies were learned. On that, and future, days.

The synth link is so good and difficult to recreate today due to wanna-be technology.

If I remember correctly, some former members of the Human League made a baby, moved to Australia or something and started a band called Babel. Though I can’t prove it….. 

Oh wait, thanks to the Goog, it was actually the Thompson Twins that started a new band called Babble which had a pretty good album back in the day. At least that’s how I remember it anyway.  

Somehow I lump these two groups together. Two very good 80’s bands with similar-enough styles.

Also there is another band called Babel. Which is some good chillout electronic stuff.

Keep feeling fasci-nayy-shu-un!