WE HAVE HEAVEN "IT'S A NICE DAY" (2005)

We Have Heaven is the best band to ever come from Virginville, PA in 2009 or Japan in 1972 or outer space in 3789. Much like Sun Ra and Erik Satie, their music does not achor itself to time and space but rather exists outside of the parameters of both their contemporaries and most music in general. "It's a Nice Day" sounds like a recording of the cosmos, a newly unearthed soundtrack to a ride on a shooting star. It feels both beautifully composed and gently tossed off. But the "song" is eternal, beginning already in progress and rather than ending, fading out. Maybe it began a long time ago and maybe it will continue until we're all very old. Or until the world stops and there are no more people to listen.

We Have Heaven is just one branch of the Easy Subculture empire, which is also something that was begun a long time ago and will continue eternally. I was shaped in my formative years by Easy Subculture's xplanet and bethx, dEALERS and Gang Mods of Bethlehem cd-r releases. I hope to always be a disciple of the xEASYx empire.

CRAZY GANG "ARABIAN NIGHTS" (1983)

"Arabian Nights" is one of the most stylish and funky Italo disco tracks I've heard. The members of Goblin (the Italian prog rock band famous for soundtracking numerous Dario Argento films as well as Dawn of the Dead) split in 1979 and a few eventually formed Crazy Gang. The group put out one LP which is highly sought after. But even before their 1983 LP, Claudio Simonetti honed his production skills with other projects like Vivian Vee and Capricorn (the self-titled track by Capricorn will surely appear in a future update if I keep this up long enough). The delayed drums and hard handclaps no doubt were a frequent soundtrack to lots of mid-80s drunken and drugged up European debauchery.

Discogs lists a bootleg pressing that came out this year so if you want to get this on vinyl without dropping well over $100, you have your chance for at least a little while.

COMET GAIN "IF YOU EVER WALK OUT OF MY LIFE" (2005)

Comet Gain do good on Dena Barnes's 60s northern soul/pop tune "If You Ever Walk Out of My Life" (original), making the tune their own. They strip it of its casual, playful nature and the result is much more emotionally brutal than the original. Taking liberties like chord and lyric changes is a dicey move and does not always pay off, but here Comet Gain create a worthy tribute to a forgotten tune, reinvigorating it with their own style. In fact, most of the group's catalog can be seen as a sort of creative homage to the their influences, whether it be northern soul, mod/garage pop, or the film, literature, and visual art references that litter their best songs and record artwork.

This cover originally appeared on a compilation 7" entitled "More Soul Than Wigan Casino" released in 2005 by Fortuna Pop. It has recently been reissued in the Comet Gain singles collection "Broken Record Prayers", released by What's Your Rupture.

Comet Gain are on tour RIGHT NOW and this is probably your last chance to ever catch them in the states, so catch one of their three US shows.

IVY GREEN "I'M SURE WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT" (1978)

"I'm Sure We're Going to Make It" is a killer two-chord Dutch punk blast from 1978. It kicks off Ivy Green's self-titled debut album, a notoriously rare LP (even bootlegs are hard to come by apparently). The song feels so fresh, like it could have been in the past year rather than 31 years ago. Its catchy vocals and two-chord minimalism fit it alongside contemporary punk bands like Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Pissed Jeans. The ecstatic single-note keyboard line propels the synchronized guitars, bass, and drums, blasting the song through its three and a half minutes in what feels like a second. Listen. Repeat. This is the greatest song of all time.