L.A.’s Corsica Arts Club is the project of Brendan Thompson and Arash Parsee, with help from contributing members Nate Chovanec, Peter McArthur and Jason Mittleman. They will issue their new self-titled EP on May 29, following the release of a few acclaimed singles. Their brand of pop is upbeat and energetic with a variety of vocal ranges and clearly impressive musicianship. Now, they have been so kind as to make MAGNET a mix tape. Check it out below.
Can “Dizzy Dizzy”
A lot of excellent music came out of Germany in the 1970s: Can, Kraftwerk, Neu!, etc. This is the first track off the album Soon Over Babaluma from 1974. From the very first chord, it creates a certain atmosphere—you’re instantly transported to some far-off, mystical place. We were blown away the first time we heard this song in college, and to this day it still evokes that same feeling. Video
Curtis Mayfield “Blue Monday People”
Curtis Mayfield is a big influence on the way we both play guitar. His genius lies in the subtlety, the delicacy with which he plays. It compliments his voice and his songwriting so perfectly without overshadowing anything. This whole album, There’s No Place Like America Today, is fantastic. Video
Japan “European Son”
Up until recently, we’d thought Giorgio Moroder produced this song, but in fact it was Japan’s attempt at writing something in his style—with the four-on-the-floor kick drum, pulsating sequencer throughout, and airy string synth flourishes. Add David Sylvian’s inimitable crooning and Mick Karn’s unparalleled fretless bass playing, and it’s something uniquely their own. They eventually did work with Moroder on “Life In Tokyo.” Video
David Bowie “Sound And Vision”
We could have picked any song off Low. It’s a very important album to us: the lyrical themes, the production, really the whole zeitgeist of Bowie and Iggy Pop’s time in Berlin. Low changed our entire approach to making music. It helped us tear down boundaries we’d once perceived and helped define a clear vision of the sort of music we wanted to make. It’s an eternal inspiration, a constant muse. Video
The Band (With Van Morrison) “4{e5d2c082e45b5ce38ac2ea5f0bdedb3901cc97dfa4ea5e625fd79a7c2dc9f191} Pantomime”
The Band is one of our favorite bands of all time and one of our greatest influences, though you probably wouldn’t expect that listening to our music. They were pioneers of home recording, a pillar of camaraderie, and the truest definition of a band: five extraordinary talents uniting to create something far greater than the sum of their parts. This song is about a couple of musicians stranded in L.A. after a gig, with nothing to console them but a bottle of scotch (the title supposedly refers to the difference in alcohol percentage between Johnnie Walker Red and Black). Sharing vocal duties with the brilliant Richard Manuel is the Belfast Cowboy himself, Van Morrison. After the session, as Levon Helm recalled in his autobiography, “There was horror among the civilians at the studio when the two dead-drunk musicians argued about who would drive the other one home.” Video
Air “Kelly Watch The Stars”
We saw Air at the Hollywood Bowl about 10 years ago with the L.A. Philharmonic. They were one of the first artists that opened our minds to utilizing electronic sounds in songwriting. We find their production techniques and synthesizer aesthetic nothing short of elegant. Must be a French thing. Video
Lucio Battisti “Neanche Un Minuto Di ‘Non Amore'”
Arash: My parents showed me Lucio Battisti last summer, and it was a revelation! My dad lived in Rome when this album came out, and he says Battisti’s lyrics have the same sort of poetic quality in Italian that Leonard Cohen’s lyrics have in English. This album, Io Tu Noi Tutti, was actually recorded in L.A. with a who’s-who of session musicians: Hal Blaine on drums, Ray Parker, Jr. of “Ghostbusters” fame on guitar …
Brendan: Those dueling guitars! It’s a master class in song arrangement. Amazing across the board.
Arash: The perfect soundtrack to a summer evening in Rome, Negroni in hand. Video
Chris Bell “I Am The Cosmos”
If there’s a better way to open a song than by singing, “Every night I tell myself I am the cosmos,” we haven’t heard it yet. Video
Bryan Ferry “The Price Of Love”
We love his vocal phrasing and delivery. Both Bryan Ferry solo and Roxy Music are big influences on us, not just musically but aesthetically, too. Always impeccable album artwork, and always looking dapper like a boss. Video
The Beach Boys “(Wouldn’t It Be Nice To) Live Again”
Often overshadowed by his iconic brother Brian, Dennis Wilson was a genius songwriter in his own right. In our humble opinion, some of these Beach Boys songs that were never properly released are better than the material most artists put on their albums. Video
