As an eighties kid, synth pop has been pumping in my blood ever since that first day I turned on my MTV. There’s some debate as to who’s considered a synth pop band and who isn’t. For this September Music Twitter challenge – #SynthPopSeptember – I’m focusing more on what’s considered synth pop, not who. The songs I’m featuring on Mental Jukebox this month aren’t solely composed of synthesizers. There may be drums, bass, and dare I say, electric guitars. But each of these songs were picked because the synthesizer is core to its being.
Japan is one of those bands that I missed early on – mainly because I was just 6 years old when Quiet Life was released and the influential band wasn’t big in the U.S. Interestingly, it was one of the bands they helped shape – Duran Duran – that became huge in the States. Having discovered the genius of Japan much, much later in life I can’t help but feel like Duran Duran ripped them off in so many respects. To prove it, I’ll submit the title track “Quiet Life” as Exhibit A.
I hear Duran Duran all over this. Or perhaps I should say, I hear “Quiet Life” all over Duran Duran’s debut album. The funk-inspired bass lines. Shimmery synth lines. Sax interludes. Helicopter effects. Even the vocals sound like Simon Le Bon. “Quiet Life” is proof that commercial success isn’t indicative of the innovation behind the music. Just like The Chameleons who paved the way for Interpol, Japan – and Roxy Music to a lesser extent – made Duran Duran who they are.
“Beware, here comes the quiet life again.”