When you want to listen to “Forever Young” there are a lot of choices. Bob Dylan’s is country fried. Rod Stewart’s (my favorite, natch) is simultaneously upbeat and nostalgic.  Then there’s this one. I fancy myself a fan/expert on all things 80s, but this song didn’t come onto my radar until Napoleon Dynamite. He walks into his high school dance with Alphaville blazing. So how good of a song is it?

In a word, it’s ridiculous. The vocals that come out of Marian Gold (née Hartwig Schierbaum) are really something. I don’t know if this guy was raised in the Alps or what, but he can hit notes at the mountain top. Be careful listening to the third chorus (right before the synth solo) because your ears might bleed.

Then there’s the lyrics. They start off sane enough.

Let’s dance in style, lets dance for a while
Heaven can wait we’re only watching the skies
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst
Are you going to drop the bomb or not?

At this point, I’m down. The need to dance, the angst of a teenager, even a little social commentary on war. But by the end of the second verse, I think they’ve lost it.

I don’t want to perish like a fading horse
Youth is like diamonds in the sun
And diamonds are forever
So many adventures couldn’t happen today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams are swinging out of the blue
We let them come true

A fading horse? Okay. And let me get this straight: Young people are like diamonds in the middle of the sun? But they’ll still exist forever? And the adventures didn’t happen but the dreams did? I’m confused. But just wait.

Trying to understand the plot of the video is the epitome of confusion. The lead singer is dressed in a red jumpsuit like Sigourney Weaver could have worn in Ghostbusters. He’s singing to a bunch of sleepy people who look like extras from Time Bandits. Eventually, his nonsense lyrics lead them into a blindingly bright hole in the wall (Walk toward the light!) through which they walk, amazed and delighted.

Watch for yourself. Video below the fold. Enjoy!

(I tried to see Phoenix myself earlier this month. They were in town playing the Austin City Limits Fest. I was never going to join that filthy slog, but I got word that the band was playing a “secret show” late that night. I headed down to Beauty Bar, and waited. Local semi-big shots Voxtrot played, and then we waited. And waited. Word spread through the crowd that the boys from Phoenix were in another part of the club DJing. Yes, spinning wax. Would they finish up that nonsense and come play us some songs? It was not to be.)

Even knowing they’re French, it’s easy to forget that when they sing in accent-less English. Being interviewed, however, brought it all home. Oui, oui. Surreal. They seem like nice enough guys, but that accent  hits the ears like a nice aged Camembert hits the nose. Oof.

As they’ve made their way around the country, they’ve gone with an acoustic set up for shows like this. It’s worth a listen. I’ve got a video from another live studio performance below the fold.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

This week Brooke and Bob stepped aside for a special episode all about the state of the music industry, especially in regards to downloading and piracy.

One segment dealt with sampling. For some reason, I’ve always demurred from listening to Girl Talk, but I’ll be honest. That’s some catchy stuff. And it should be. Dude’s taking whatever he wants and mashing it up. I just might ask the internet to send me some.

Payola and the Billboard charts came up, and the point was driven home that with most young people not buying CDs, they don’t get a “consumer vote” and their music isn’t reflected in these charts.

Indie Rock wasn’t ignored. Good small bands are basically invisible in this world of $300 concert tickets and boomer-driven CD sales. (I know I was priced out of going to see The Police, virtually the only band of that ilk I’d ever want to see.) The world of KEXP and Pitchfork is still figuring out how to operate. There are no good answers. Being inventive helps, but the long slog seems to be an enduring reality.