narcissist's waltz

Jason Productshopnyc invited me to be a guest on his Sirius radio show this week. He asked that i pick 30 french pop tracks, any era, any artist, anything i wanted. So i decided to put something together that reflected what we usually play at our party Le One Night Stand, a mix of 60's, 70's and 80's french pop, and added to that some more contemporary artists as well. The first half was mostly 60's, while the second a mix of 80's until today. You can view the tracklist here. Jason and i had a lot of fun talking about music, deejaying, parties, blogs, etc... i didn't get to hear the show (or have time to promote it here beforehand), but i'll see if we can make a download of it somewhere.

In the mix i included a song by local band Die Romantik (the song is the cover i recorded with them, per Jason's request), who has recently put some new songs on their myspace page. The band, who is currently recording a full-length album, are showcasing four songs that include some revamped and re-arranged older material, as well as new tracks. Die Romantik is one those unconventional indie rock bands who truly makes you appreciate all the complexities and influences they subtly layer over the simple pop melodies they write. Listen to a song like Narcissist's waltz, and you notice the evident, yet so unpretentious, classical training of the band members, something very refreshing to the ears. I not only love the intello-cool aesthetic of the band sonically (which can't help but remind me of Melody Nelson-era Gainsbourg), but also visually, thanks to the striking artwork provided by this talented guy. There's something very appealing about musicians who team up with friends/artists to create a distinct image together (another great example is Asobi Seksu and Sean McCabe) - it makes for a more fulfilling experience, in my opinion.
If you're in the city, go see Die Romantik play at Sin-é this saturday night. If you're not, go to myspace now to listen to their tunes, and download this song:
Die Romantik :: Tik Tok [MP3]

Die Romantik's Lacrimosa EP cover - by Jonathan Weiner