Gen X-er living in a time machine, high on nostalgia. Flashbacks is the debut album by Peach on a beach, a tribute to growing up in Dartmouth, NS during the 80s. Available on streaming and CD. Check out YouTube videos for "Beeping and Bleeping", "Pizza Corner", "Before Call Display", "Anticipation Street" and "Boogeyman Trail". Released on May 3, “Zooming In" is an electro-pop, over the top tribute to my lifelong passion for maps. Official website: https://www.peachonabeach.ca/
The 'feel-good' psychedelia of both song and video for "Income Tax" by P'tit Belliveau are throwbacks to the late 70s.
The glowing strobes, jewels and bills in the catchy chorus highlight dreams of extreme shopping upon receiving a sizeable income tax return.
And the 70s style sub-title text help non-Acadian viewers decipher the Franglais lyrics.
The track is more proof of the legendary creativity of musicians from Clare, a small buy mighty rural municipality in SW Nova Scotia with a population of 8000 residents, mainly French Acadians.
One of the original darkwave bands from the 80s, Dutch artist Clan of Xymox released "She" in 2020, a throwback to their goth roots.
The synths are strong and hypnotic, and they work in synch with the lush guitars to create an ominous yet appealing melody.
At first glance, this video appears gloomy. A girl dancing alone, post-apocalyptic, in what appears to be an old warehouse on the sketchy side of town.
I find this clip unintentionally captures the zeitgeist of 2020. Like the girl in the video, we learned to dance with the darkness. Connected while apart. Dare I even suggest, we embraced it. And the good news in the end. She woke up from her dream with her tunes, and health, still intact.
This video also reminds me of the sheer fun we had in exploring abandoned buildings as kids. While underage and too young to sneak into the clubs of downtown Halifax, we broke into an abandoned convent instead. On the top floor we found some sort a sitting circle and what appeared to be a recent séance. Cool and creepy stuff.
For a sample of the band's earlier works, check out "A Day" from 1985.
Candidate 2 of 2. Written and recorded during the pandemic, it's a light funk track that takes on the heavy subject matter with a bit of levity. Comfort food for the confused and quarantined.
Candidate 1 of 2. A psychedelic pop masterpiece with a gorgeous bass line, disco melody and infectious choruses that will stay in your head for days. Heavy on nostalgia, convincing lyrics and video argue that eventually terrible memories make great ones. Worth a spin for fans of 70s / 80s pop.
Fave lyrics: “so if they call you embrace them, if they hold you erase them.”
