Computer Magic vs. A Flock Of Seagulls

Like This and Like That is the new column from Snobcast extraordinaire, Father Guido Sarducci IV. The procedure: Every morning (OK, maybe not every morning) Guido will snatch the first crisp, clean & new mp3 he stumbles upon, listen to it at least once, and then find an old song (ten years or more) for some good old-fashioned compare and contrast. The purpose: To draw a line between the modern and the out-of-date. The premise: To expose the kids to their past while also showing the unfashionable adults that there’s great new music being made every day. Thus, if you like This than you might like That.

“Electronic Fences” by Computer Magic vs “I Ran” by A Flock Of Seagulls

Sometimes computers are magic…and sometime they’re pieces of shit! The latter would be the reason for that ugly YouTube player up there instead of a proper audio player. Anyway, I won’t bore you with the details, just listen to this beautiful song. Computer Magic is 17 year old Danz (no last name). She’s a super cute and precocious youngster who began composing and producing some really gorgeous music when she graduated high school and relocated from upstate NY to Bushwick, Brooklyn less than a year ago. While she creates all her sounds alone, she plays live with James Morley on guitar and Justin Coles on bass. Danz has quickly become many a hip teenagers crush. I can’t wait to see where she goes when the masses discover her music. Download her Hiding From Our Time EP and you can thank me later.

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How does a 17 year old, fresh-faced, hipster/bedroom composer relate to this British Grammy Award-winning, 80s new wave band? Hmm…in so many ways, the answer to that question is in the question itself. What unsigned chill wave artist doesn’t owe something to this Flock? However, I chose this song, in particular, because of the running theme. While “I Ran” is literal, “Electronic Fences” has this feeling of movement, albeit rather slow movement, like a dreamy, jogging-through-the-park montage. You can see the landscape, especially what sounds like playground noise. The pace of this little montage picks-up on “I Ran”. All of a sudden our protagonist awakes from the chill wave dream to a synthesized reality.

Related articles:

• The Drums | The Drums (godonnybrook.com)
• McCotter on Flock of Seagulls (politico.com)
• Pictureplane vs. The Cure (godonnybrook.com)
• Hairable: For the Love of ’80s and ’90s Hair (blogher.com)
• [mpFree] Computer Magic’s Hiding From Our Time EP (iguessimfloating.net)
• Norman Palm vs. Belle & Sebastian (godonnybrook.com)