Ocelopotamus

My old college pal Dan (well, actually we got to be friends after college, but that’s a long story), who was the master of the new-music mix tape back in the middle-eighties, turned up on Facebook recently and has been freshening up my iTunes with all sorts of fun new stuff.

So here are a few of my favorite things Dan has turned me on to …

First up, “Pink Squares” by I Was a Cub Scout. It’s got a nice new-new-wave sound, but it’s also got a certain post-Death Cab for Cutie charm as well. I just love this to death.

Next up, something I didn’t expect to like so much at first, but have gradually fallen in love with: “Fascination” by Alphabeat.

This is just goofy pop fun, but it’s charming and lighthearted in a way that not much pop music manages to pull off successfully these days. In fact, I’m really enjoying the whole Alphabeat album.

… And possibly my favorite new album Dan turned me on to is Keep Your Eyes Ahead by The Helio Sequence.

Listen to “You Can Come to Me”, and possibly my favorite thing on the album, “Shed Your Love” — which sounds almost like vintage, Fairytale-era Donovan. Just breathtaking. Here it is:

 
And here’s some video of them on the latenight teevee.