Offbeat Tracks

Italo-disco, synthpop, new wave, Hi NRG -- Trans-X had it all! Choose between a 3D Dance and a Monkey Dance as you hit the floor with us and step through this geeky Canadian electronic group's '80s singles.

An all-time favorite offbeat artist of ours! Check out her unique blend of synthpop and classical, as we light you up like a liner that is cruising the Atlantic.

After last week's diatribe, we're back to our old devices with another mysterious Canadian. She dropped a couple of freestyle singles in the late '80s, at some point (probably) earned a psychology degree and purchased a TR-909, then left us one amazing eurohouse album in the '90s before disappearing forever. If you know where Pobi is, or if you happen to be her, let us know, eh?

Music: The great unifier. That's the idea, anyway. This principle certainly seems to be holding true for Europe, at least, as all its countries come together each year to celebrate some differences and set others aside all in the name of making awesome (or sometimes really, really weird) music. We'll give you some history of the contest, touch on some iconic songs, a few personal favorites, and then preview this year's competition!

This week we're discussing a professional cheerleader who became a dancepop superstar! No, not her - another one!

Perhaps the only instance in music history of an artist choosing a stage name that's lamer than their actual name. Goddess was certainly fitting, though, for this one-album wonder, so join us as we explore her early italo days, her one album of pop perfection, and her later works of wokeness.

In our fourth Superlatives episode, we tackle an admittedly difficult subject for us: Songs that we used to hate, but now we like. We tend to stand by our musical snap judgments, so this was not an easy list to compile.

Where is Rockwell? Why did he release three albums in three years and then disappear completely from the music industry? We wildly speculate with very little evidence on these questions and more this week amid a lot of killer music.

Are they a boy band, or just young, dreamy British sophisti-poppers? We use discussion of some of their great songs this week to dissect what sends a song off the rails from cool to nerdy, invent a word for said derailing, and, of course, to further mock the British.

From All In The Family to alt-rocker, Danielle Brisebois has had quite the career. This week we discuss her (so far only) two albums and her journey from the small screen to the stage to the big screen.

Say the name of this episode out loud and hopefully you'll get it faster than we did! Everybody knows their biggest hit, but we're spinning our favorite Lipps, Inc. deep cuts this week. You'll need a sequined suit and some roller skates to play along at home.

A self-taught guitarist from St. Louis who moved to Minneapolis in the early '80s to dive into the funk scene before eventually releasing three very underrated solo albums by the end of the decade. Good gawd!

Check your braids, spike your top, make sure your earring-nose chain is connected, and dance with us through the career of an underappreciated prodigy of synth and drum programming (as well as many other instruments).

In need of a new attitude? One emergency neutron dance through this inimitable soundtrack and you'll be stirring it up with gratitude in no time. The heat is on! Axel F!!

Sticking with last week's theme of underappreciated '80s nerds, this time we're looking at philosophy enthusiast Green Gartside and his band Scritti Politti. If you're from the US, then to you they're a one-hit wonder, but if you're from the UK, you know them as having a handful of synthpop hits in the middle of the decade. This episode is really just an excuse to comb through Max's favorite album of the decade.

Falco rides again! Through your ears, anwyway. Put on your nicest suit, slick your hair back, and head with us down to the nearest symphony hall and/or bath house as we remember this euro-geek who deserved far more attention than he got during his life.

What are the best songs to get down and dirty to? How do you define "sexy"? These are just a couple of the questions we tackle in our third superlatives episode.

Canadian disco! Meet Voggue, a two-album wonder who kept the golden disco sound alive (sort of) well beyond the golden era.

We honor the late pop star, whom we both admired very much, by each picking our favorite deep cuts and forgotten singles.

Breathe in, breahthe out, and step with us through a very British boy band experience.