… On a Sunday. Yeah, I know. But the US election and CNN grabbed my entire attention up until last night, everything else had to be set on hold. But today, one day too late, I have bundled two tracks that objectively speaking actually doesn’t quite qualify for our playlist – except that they’re too good to ignore.
… And thank you, USA. My belief in you is restored.
New Spell – Home (Vandal Moon Remix)
As I have so many times said in this column, authenticity is so important for me when it comes to Synthwave. Does it sound like it was actually released back then? And would it be played on the radio? If the answer is yes to both of those the distance is short to landing on a blog post here.
But in this case I had to let go a bit on the authenticity when it comes to the production of this track. It sounds too modern. It’s mixed and mastered according to the modern standards. This use of compression and vocal processing, the kick that cuts through everything like a modern EDM production – we simply didn’t do it like this back then.
However, there’s no denying the artistic qualities at play here. The gorgeous vocals, the utterly charming melody, the classic snare sound, the overall VIBE of this track is totally eighties.
So yes, of course we had to add this one to the playlist. I’m sure you’ll agree.
Canyon Crows – She Died
And much of what I say above applies to the next track, from Scotland. Details in the production that most definitely are of a more modern character than how things were done back then.
In adition this one is largely to be called an instrumental, not much vocals here (who is a requirement on our playlist), and what’s there is spoken words.
But the vibe, man. There’s Miami Vice neon lights plastered all over this track. Classic synth arps ala Jan Hammer, Paul Hardcastle & co. So I figured, this one is a nice instrumental break on our dear playlist.
Both of these are added to our gorgeous Spotify playlist “More Eighties Than The 80s itself“, where all the best synth pop tracks are stored for your enjoyment. Do follow it, please – there’s new, great stuff added weekly!