Rob Masters

Straight out of the 80's and visualised by channelling Leiji Matsumoto, we've got an epic space fantasy this week. Except it is from 2019 and Canada. A truly delightful flashback, this has everything - including cameos from the band, and from their associated act. Prepare for battle alongside "Starlight Brigade" by TWRP, from 2019's Together Through Time.

Anything that includes Max Headroom is, in my books, automatically SFF. A music video about Max not being able to sleep? Doubly so. If you don't know who Max is - watch this, and be amazed at just predictive it is.  Further, not only is Max not  CGI, there is a real actor under the astounding prosthetics.  Roll forward a year, and this video gets released by the synth-pop legends of the 1980s, Art of Noise.  Enjoy Paranomia.  

Late again, I know. It has been a hectic time post-New Year. Today we have a wonderful group of neophyte telekenetics and their friend. The four of them naturally represent the band and the guest singer. Animated by noted cartoonist and animator Jamie McKelvie, the sheer joy of this video is infectious - from playing with a hat, to the popped out toast, everything is an expression of joy.  Some discussions on the song meaning sites interpret this as an end-of-relationship song, but I disagree - especially in the light of video. It is all about embracing abilities and emotions that had been hidden. It is a song of self-empowerment and joy. So take in the 2016 sounds of Chvches, featuring Haley Williams, bringing you "Bury It".

It is nearly All Hallows Eve, so let's go with something a bit spooky. This video is painfully haunting in the imagery - doubly so when you realise what the song is about, namely domestic violence, and the struggle to get someone free of it. The duo, Say Lou Lou are fraternal twin sisters, and the daughters of, if not rock royalty, then certainly nobles. Descended from Australia Alt-Rock and Swedish New Wave Punk musical backgrounds, they have grown into a completely different style all of their own, but with distant echoes their heritage still audible. The anger of Pink Champagne blend with the melancholy of The Church to form a background to the dreaminess of Say Lou Lou's own style, making the whole unforgettable. Blow the playback up to full-screen, or cast it to a TV, crank the volume just a bit, and be entranced by Say Lou Lou's "Nothing but a Heartbeat" from 2015. 

 So let's head back to 2000, and an Aussie band who were probably just a few years ahead of their time.  Possibly the most interesting thing to ever come out of Canberra, B(if)tek were a synthpop duo from before synthpop was really popular.  Recording from 1994 to 2003, they released three albums - and this is from the second, the (now) ominously titled "2020".  Have a watch of the strangely prophetic "Machines Work", by B(if)tek from 2000, and think about the increasing roles of AI in our world, and how many of these 'AI's are actually mechanical turks. 

Let's kick off the new year (almost a week late, but, hey...) with a track that is so 80's it hurts.  Here is 1983's "Human Touch" by Rick Springfield. Complete with shoulder pads, silver suits, named computers, alien sax players, and more. Pity we did not get any of that for 2016.  (And if the embed fails, try popping it out to youtube.)

Ricardo Autobahn is one of those people whose work you have almost certainly heard, even if you've never heard of him. Part of the turn-of-millennium pop anarchists " The Cuban Boys ", one half of " Spray ", and many other bands you've heard, but never heard of, he is prolific beyond words, and has even written a couple of Eurovision entries . One of his latest solo efforts is the 2019 concept album (yes, concept albums are back, at least in my part of the universe) " Check the Gyroscopes ".  Described by Jeffery Wells as "the soundtrack for a science-fiction film that never existed" it swoops and soars, and twists in unexpected directions. Starting in a style akin to one of the greats of synthesiser music, Jean-Michel Jarre (Cocktails on the Dream Train to Hyperspace, The Tranquility of Gravity), it quickly turns to some of the most danceable instrumental music I've heard in a long time (Jetsphere Luxury Lounge). It passes t...

Let's roll forward to 2012, and to the heart of the synthpop revolution. This Swedish duo have been making quite a splash since their 2010 debut, and this track and video are no exception. Another singleship - again probably some sort of scout, or maybe a courier - but this time heading home. We get a distinct impression that the ship has seen better days, and the pilot is very, very tired. Not so tired as to make mistakes, but you get a strong sense of weariness. On the other hand, that is one rocking flightsuit, and I like the idea of the fingerlights, to help illuminate the controls as she activates them. Anyway, here are Niki & The Dove, with "Tomorrow" from 2012.

Right now, everyone knows that Mars Needs Women  but this video turns that around a little. For a bit of bonus fun, according to Luxxury (as he goes by now), when this was made he was nursing several degrees of fever, and remembers very little of the shoot except for being dragged around in a tux. This also features some amazingly scary expressions from Jesse Marie Di Carlo-Wagner, who plays our lady from the stars. I hope you enjoy this fantastic little tale in the form of "Glass Candy" by Baron von Luxxury, from 2012.

I fully expect that many some a couple at least one of my readers have been waiting for this iconic 80s video to make an appearance. Featuring a blend of hand-drawn pencil animation and live-action footage, this video was an instant classic, and made the song a 1985 number one hit in the USA, and one of the best selling singles of all time. But this is not the original - the original version (by the same band, from 1984) had a far less popular response, and a far more boring video. It was a flop outside of Norway.  Remixed and re-released a year later, it soared to remarkable heights, and has stayed there year after year, and is one of only five songs on YouTube to exceed one beeelion views. So here you have it, Aha's 1985 release of "Take On Me", as remastered from the original 35mm film in 2019.

I've got an amazingly odd one this week. The story centres around a couple. They are not well suited to each other, but have fallen into a too-hard-to-change sort of trap. How is it SpecFic? Well, for that you will have to watch the video. Pay careful attention to the details. But, must importantly, enjoy Hot Chip's "Hungry Child" from 2019.

Au Revoir Simone are a band I have a great fondness for. Releasing albums only rarely, they are a treat for the ears. Tending towards low-key and downbeat lyrics, they counterpoint them with bright and cheerful tunes rendered on old-school synths. This is one of their early works, and one that has distinct fantasy elements.

Not so much a music video as a cut of a short film with the music as a soundtrack. This video by Polymath Films is the official video for the smooth synthpop sounds of Swimming's "I Do (Come True)".  Powerfully moving and filled with hope - despite the apparently downbeat ending - this is a masterwork in SpecFic music video production. Here is the full version: