I love the 80s — ironically?

Long-time fans will know that every once in a while, I’ll listen to a song or two. Occasionally, I’ll even list them together to make what has become known as a “playlist.” I know, I know: it’s tough to figure out, but you’ll get the hang of it.

Sometimes, when I develop a “playlist,” I have a purpose (e.g., to help orient someone to a particular genre of music, to make a list for my own listening, to impress people, etc.). This playlist, which I’m pseudo/meta-sado-masochistically listening to right now, is designed to represent the genre of “BANDS LIKE THE KILLERS OMG” — a.k.a. “80s-wave post-wave new-wave no-wave post-new-wave BANDS LIKE THE KILLERS OMG.” Lucky people might have a CD with these ridges burnt into it very soon:

1. The Bravery, “An Honest Mistake”
   The Bravery, as I have previously argued, are badasses — but not really. They decided to PR-fight against the Killers, who aren’t really as good as they are. Unfortunately, the Bravery clearly copied the Killers, so that’s too bad. And let’s not fool ourselves: both bands kind of suck, but the Killers are overplayed and sucky, while the Bravery were underappreciated when their self-titled record dropped, because everyone discounted them as Killers copycats.
2. Hot Hot Heat, “You Owe Me An IOU”
   “You Owe Me An IOU” comes from H^3’s major label debut, Elevator, which came out earlier this year. The album as a whole isn’t as good as their next-newest album, Make Up The Breakdown, but this playlist isn’t for “good” music, it’s for music that fits a particular (generally unspectacular) genre. Still, “You Owe Me An IOU” is one of the better tracks on Elevator, and I’d still rank it pretty close to the top of this year’s “Who’s Who In BANDS THAT SOUND LIKE THE KILLERS OMG” list.
3. Franz Ferdinand, “Love & Destroy”
   I’m not sure how available this track is, but I know it’s on a record company release called Semper Satago, which is how I have it. Franz Ferdinand were one of the earlier popularizers of the genre, and this is the song of theirs that I got most recently. Whether it’s actually newer than their self-titled CD, I don’t know.
4. Bloc Party, “Luno”
   Bloc Party, as I have said elsewhere, seems more like the real thing than most of the other bands on this list. I actually like them, and I think “Luno” is pretty representative of the genre. Or maybe they’re on the list to fulfill a racial quota? No.
5. Thunderbirds Are Now!, “Eat This City”
   I also like TAN!, and I met them for a bit at their largely-unattended show in Iowa City. The father of two of the bandmembers told me that Les Savy Fav had been their mentors, and — although that probably had more to do with the recording side of things than the performance side — it shone through clearly in their performance. Les Savy Fav is amazing in concert, and so was TAN! While they claim their old album sucked, their new album, Justamustache, isn’t bad. “Eat This City” is probably the most accessible track on it.
6. Fischerspooner, “Just Let Go”
   You might remember Fischerspooner from the first time this style of music was in fashion. Well, you might remember them from when the first time this style of music was in fashion had just ended, well before this iteration. Now, they’re back in action.
7. Elkland, “Everybody’s Leaving”
   To Elkland, it seems like Killers-music is more than a fun fad; it’s a way of life. They’re also more serious than the Bravery, and they’re a lot better than the Killers. I like them.
8. Le Tigre, “I’m So Excited” (Cover)
   Is the original by the Pointer Sisters? I don’t know, but this is an actual 80s song, covered by Le Tigre, who have been playing this shit for years. Like, a lot of their songs would fall into this genre, but this is the easiest one to pick out (from their most recent album, This Island). I saw them live and fell in love with them. Too bad none of them will have me…
9. The Caesars, “Jerk It Out”
   Pull out your iPod Shuffles, everyone! This song is worthless.
10. Louis XIV, “Finding Out True Love Is Blind”
    I really wanted Louis XIV to be good when I saw them live, and they weren’t. (They also went on too early for me to catch their whole set, which I irrationally blame them for.) Still, this is a good song (recorded), and it’s worth a listen.
11. Wolf Parade, “Grounds For Divorce”
    OK, so Wolf Parade might not belong on this list. But I have the new album, and I wanted a chance to tell you so. And there’s a decent argument to be made that it’s synth-poppy enough to belong here. It’s also pretty good, but it’ll get hyped so much that I don’t need to say anything more here.
12. Weezer, “This Is Such A Pity”
    It’s hilarious that Weezer is on this list, but Make Believe earns them a spot. Fuck ‘em.