"Walkin' " | Thundercat
Come on, the guy's name is Thundercat; what could be more eighties than that? If you must know, this easy listening ditty, taken from the bassist's 2011 The Golden Age of Apocalypse album, is. Do you hear that snare?!?
"Rebound" | Dornik
The artwork, the synths, the velvety vocals, the skittering drum pattern— the UK singer Dornik understands sugary (and cheesy) 80's pop. Maybe a little too well, actually...
"White Noise" | Disclosure (ft. AlunaGeorge)
Sure, the song's video depicts current-era Detroit in all of it's ruin porn-y goodness, but the song's four-on-the-floor-esque beat is eighties Detroit at it's finest. Doesn't this song just make you want to put on a tracksuit and unleash your inner B-boy or B-girl?
"Noirse" | Petite Noir
Here's a riddle: if Ian Curtis took Joy Divison, moved to South Africa, and spent the rest of the eighties making post-punk music with an African aesthetic, what would it sound like? Granted, we wouldn't have New Order, but for the sake of the riddle, we're going to overlook that for a minute. If you're stumped, it's ok; the answer is the South African artist Yannick Ilunga—better known as Petite Noir. By skillfully mixing Ian Curtis' reverberating vocals with African instruments, Petite Noir's music is sure to keep you wondering "what if?" while you nostalgically play your vinyl Joy Division records.
"Sober" | Childish Gambino
Depending on whom you ask, an integral part of the eighties was the sequin-glove-wearing, high-water-pants donning, leather-jacket-rocking King of Pop himself: Michael Jackson. If you're one of these people, then this cut from Childish Gambino, with it's soulful soprano vocals, is sure to remind you of vintage MJ. God bless the King (of Pop).
BONUS: "Mirror" | Little Dragon
OK, seeing as how it's virtually impossible to mention Michael Jackson without mentioning Prince, this song from the Swedish electronic band Little Dragon has to be included. That said, this album cut's slow burning instrumentation and sultry vocals will make you feel so dirty that you'll have no choice but to purify yourself in Lake Minnetonka. The Purple One would be proud.
