Chicago garage-glam duo the Handcuffs are no strangers to commitment. Happily married in life and song, the Handcuffs celebrated the release of their third album, Waiting For The Robot, by opening for the legendary Blondie. Today, the Handcuffs make MAGNET a mix tape with a history lesson and a few surprises.
“Baby I Love You” (download):
Mott The Hoople “Death May Be Your Santa Claus”
Mott were so much more than a raw rock ‘n’ roll band, they also had a hip factor that drew David Bowie in. This song is from the album just prior to the one Bowie produced. Raucous, rambunctious and a little bit funky with a great title. Rumor has it that this track spawned a few Sex Pistols songs. Video
Graham Nash “Military Madness”
This song is a great lead-off to a record bursting with Anglo-pop melodies and pronunciations (“MIL-I-TREE”) complemented with a tinge of Americana twang. One of the purest and most beautiful voices in the history of rock music; the whole record seems to have been mastered with some kind of feel-good frequency. Video
PJ Harvey “This Is Love”
We can’t believe this record was released way back in 2000. It’s still one of the most played in our collection. This song and the whole album rocks and has more production than it first appears, yet it breathes. PJ looks like a bad-ass sexpot in this video, and it really matches the mood of the song. Video
Sparks “Amateur Hour”
Brothers Ron and Russell Mael and band had quite the knack for the quirk. No wonder they were never a household name in the States but are still revered in England and France. The song still rocks in its own way and conveys the Maels’ great sense of clever with lyrics like, “It’s a lot like playing the violin/You cannot start off and be Yehudi Menuhin.” Video
Dave Brubeck Quartet “Sounds Of The Loop”
A song inspired by our hometown of Chicago. There’s nothing not to like about Brubeck, et al: Paul Desmond (sax), Joe Morello (drums), Norman Bates (bass) and, of course, Dave Brubeck (piano). They helped define cool-school jazz, and you can feel the chemistry between the players. The age of the mad men, nothing but a smooth groove on this turntable. Video
Goldfrapp “Ooh La La”
Proudly carrying the glam-rock torch into this decade, this song made us go gaga over Goldfrapp. If you can’t tap your toes to this tune, you can’t tap. Everything about this track is perfect, and this seems like another one of those that has that magic, feel-good frequency dialed in. Video
LL Cool J “Going Back To Cali”
Old-school rap with a foot in the future. Great production and arrangement. Catchy and rhythmic. The hook will stick in your head all day. The video was probably pretty risque for the time, but it’s so tame compared to today’s standards. Video
The Equals “Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys”
English ska/pop/rock band with an emphasis on rock, featuring a pre-’80s pop star Eddy Grant (“Electric Avenue”) on guitar, who founded the group in 1965. Their 1968 American album release also gets many spins on our turntable, but this Franz Ferdinand-esque single really grooves and demonstrates how truly ahead of their time they were. Video
Yoko Ono “Yang Yang”
Controversial artist/singer/musician Yoko Ono sounds like a combination of Nico, Debbie Harry and Björk on this track. We are huge fans of her work because her stuff is really cool and she’s fearless. It’s easy to see why John Lennon fell in love with her: She is an artistic rebel with musical courage to spare. This song is from 1972, but it sounds like it could have been recorded last year! Video
The Modern Lovers “I’m Straight”
Jonathan Richman’s Velvet Underground influence shines through on this song, which blurs the line between hard to take and can’t get enough of. This track was originally a demo produced by the notorious Kim Fowley, and there’s kind of a genius, quirky, charming, pervy thing about it. An awesome performance. Video
The Dresden Dolls “Half Jack”
Amanda Palmer isn’t afraid to belt it out even when some vocal “imperfections” sneak out, which, in our opinion, make her voice even more compelling and appealing. This song rocks without a stitch of guitar or bass. Only piano, voice and drums, but it feels so much bigger than that. Video
