It's time once again to revisit that wonderful decade which, besides questionable fashion choices, gave us, in my opinion, some of the most innovative music of our lifetimes: The 80s. As you know from previous posts (Vol. 1, Vol. 2), this robot tends to enjoy cover songs from this particular time period. Not only do they make for nice trips down memory lane, but they intertwine your memories of the past with the modernized noises of the moment, while validating your particular musical tastes.

Our first selection is the lead-off track from the just-released Bowie tribute compilation, Life Beyond Mars. Performed by the lovely and talented girls of Au Revoir Simone, Oh! You Pretty Things originally appeared on Sir David's 1981 LP, ChangesTwoBowie. Other artists trying their hand at The Thin White Duke's catalog include Joakim, Matthew Dear, Susumu Yokota and The Emperor Machine.
Au Revoir Simone - Oh! You Pretty Things

Track two comes to us via the French "bodypop" trio known as Celluloide. Originally released by Sushi & her Banshees back in 1980 (!), this tune can be summed up thusly: Quirky, analogue bleeps and beats with goth-y undertones = Happy robots dancing in the shadows.
Celluloide - Happy House

Now is when we crank it up several notches (to 11) by going with Cursor Miner's version of Van Halen's Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love. Technically not an 80's cover (the original saw its debut on Van Halen's eponymous LP in 1978), it still retains that trashy, metal vibe of early 80s Sunset Strip.
Cursor Miner - Ain't Talkin About Love

Getting grungier still, we progress to a cover of a cover with Electronicat's interpretation of Soft Cell's Tainted Love. Fred Bigot (aka Electronicat) gets double bonus points for changing the vocals to French (the language of love) and fuzzing out to the max (tainting, if you will) the melody. Akin to watching Pier Pasolini's Salò.
Electronicat - Amour Salé

The first of two songs on this list penned by his Purple Highness, this one came out during the height of the Electrocla$h frenzy, on Larry Tee's Badd Inc.: Luxury, Excess, Extravagance comp. Featuring a gay, robotic Prince (judging from the name of this artist).
Prance - Controversy

More Siouxsie, more guitars/synths run through the fuzzbox, more detached android vocals, lyrics about chicken chow mein and chop suey...
HKC - Hong Kong Garden

Co-founder of XLOVER, Bryan Black (also of MOTOR) used to be Prince's keyboard tech back in Paisley Park's heyday. This one features a guest appearance from yet another sexy member of the royal family, Princess Superstar.
XLOVER - Darling Nikki

Time for another post of retro covers of choons from that oh-so-glorious decade, thee 80z. The long-awaited second installment of RobotSound™s I <3 the 80s has arrived [for Vol.1, click here]. So bust out your best modern romantic get-up and dance to some 21st century re-imaginings of these Alternative (back when that actually meant something) Rock hits.

Chromatics - Running Up That Hill [Demo]
Enjoy this Kate Bush classic, then pick up the Chromatics Shining Violence 12" out on Italians Do It Better. Better yet, get the After Dark comp.

Scratch Massive - Three Imaginary Boys
These sexy Parisians just did a soundtrack album which has their cover of Marianne Faithful's Broken English. Here they re-interpret an early Cure track. Massive!

Travelogue - Europa
Travelogue [aka Jon Sonnenberg] has carried forth the synthpop torch from pioneers like Thomas Dolby. Don't be one of the "pirate twins" Dolby sings of -pick up some of Travelogue's releases here.

Dirty Sanchez - U Got The Look
Who better than Dirty Sanchez to cover the artist currently known as Prince's duet with Sheena E (who used to shill for the gym I belong to). Take a look at a recent video they made for their ode to the kids in Saigon and the punks in Taiwan, Youth In Asia.

lb - Be Near Me [Backup Read Error]
The last release Atom™ made as Lassigue Bendthaus was 1998's Pop Artificielle LP, featuring this ABC synthpop anthem, as well as songs from David Bowie, John Lennon, and The Stones. What's your reputation?

CMYK - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?
I usually don't post two tracks from the same artist in one post, but given that he's mr. prolific (and he's done his fair share of covers), I couldn't resist including Atom™s Senor Coconut-esque vibraphone rendition of this time-honored Culture Club number. Yes, George, I REALLY WANT TO HURT YOU! j/k

The Robot Invasion consists of machine musicians from all over the world - from the trendiest, megalopolitan glamour-bot to the unlikeliest, backyard, garage-dwelling rustbucket. Today's installment of RobotSound™ takes us deep into the heartland of the US, namely, the OKC. Seems like our Dust Bowl co-conspirators really show that they can shake a transformer and get down and drrty with the kind of aplomb that impresses even a jaded LA denizen like myself. John Bourke, one half of Trash Yourself! [**retinal damage/seizure alert!**] and co-founder of the Dance Robots, Dance! collective has been garnering his act a fair amount of press in the electro/new wave/indietronica blogosphere; So I suppose I too will have to jump on this squalid bandwagon and promote his brand of brain-scrapings to y'all. Also check the serious hoedown throwdown from DRD's resident b-girl, DJ Kylie.

**note: You may want to treat your circuitry to a hot-oil soak after listening to this nastiness.

Unclean in the OKC
John Bourke - What Is Love?
Trash Yourself! + The Toxic Avenger - Song 2
Kylie - DirtyDirty

Bonus Garbage!
Ascii Disco - Dirty! Filthy!
Dirty Princess - Marine
Rustie - Pendulum

Avoid Excessive Listening
Use Only In Moderation
Use With Caution: May Be Habit-Forming
May Cause Sleeplessness
Energy Drinks/Caffeine May Intesify This Effect

Coco Electrik - Sex Shooter
(We Are) Performance - Free Fallin'
Datashat - Don't You Want SID + How Does It Feel
Boys of Scandinavia - Bela Lugosi's Dead
Overproof Soundsystem - The Model
Busy P - It's More Fun To Compute

Given my affinity for posting covers of the music I was raised on, it was recently brought to my attention that I should profile the cpu-felt New Wave renditions of mr_hopkinson's computer™. Previously featured on RobotSound™ by way of My Robot Friend's Virtual Mixtape, this pensive laptop's fondness for covering indie classics of the 80s and 90s [think Stephen Hawking synthesizes Nouvelle Vague at the Sci-Fi convention] is matched only by his earnestness for proving that he is indeed, a sentient, if sentimental, machine. Personally, I think he should do a version of Joy Division's Isolation [only he should entitle it Pixelation]. And to prove that he's not just stuck in the past or in one particular genre, he also faithfully reproduces [I would daresay improves upon] some more recent pop offerings [Gnarls Barkley's Crazy and Kelis & ODB's Baby I Got Your Money] in connectivities with his female counterpart, The Audrey 3000™.

Please take the time to point your browser over to his myspace page and his bonus tracks page to experience for yourself the music of the silicon sensation that is mr_hopkinson's computer™.

Schneider TM - The Light 3000

You gotta love cover versions. Sure it might be the lazy way to express one's musical creativity, but it's also a surefire way for a band to get noticed [Case in point: Soft Cell's biggest hit, Tainted Love, was a cover of Gloria Jones' 1964 hit]. The practice continues to this day, with many artists offering up their own interpretations of their influence's work. One of my favorite current acts, Nouvelle Vague, is basically a Bossa Nova/Jazz/Sixties pop cover band of 70s and 80s new wave and punk hits. [By the way, they've got a new album coming out. Go buy it.]

Today's mix features today's artists covering the tried and true hits of yesteryear. First off is Add N to (X)'s tribute to 70s Hard Rock/Metal pioneers, Black Sabbath, with their cover of Iron Man [originally released in 1976]. We follow this with Sinema's cover of Keep Me Hangin' On, originally done by The Supremes in 1966 and popularized again by Kim Wilde in 1986. Lastly, we have Product 01's take on Blondie's 1978 hit Heart Of Glass. [Product advisory: This mix contains cheese].