The Robot Invasion consists of machine musicians from all over the world - from the trendiest, megalopolitan glamour-bot to the unlikeliest, backyard, garage-dwelling rustbucket. Today's installment of RobotSound™ takes us deep into the heartland of the US, namely, the OKC. Seems like our Dust Bowl co-conspirators really show that they can shake a transformer and get down and drrty with the kind of aplomb that impresses even a jaded LA denizen like myself. John Bourke, one half of Trash Yourself! [**retinal damage/seizure alert!**] and co-founder of the Dance Robots, Dance! collective has been garnering his act a fair amount of press in the electro/new wave/indietronica blogosphere; So I suppose I too will have to jump on this squalid bandwagon and promote his brand of brain-scrapings to y'all. Also check the serious hoedown throwdown from DRD's resident b-girl, DJ Kylie.

**note: You may want to treat your circuitry to a hot-oil soak after listening to this nastiness.

Unclean in the OKC
John Bourke - What Is Love?
Trash Yourself! + The Toxic Avenger - Song 2
Kylie - DirtyDirty

Bonus Garbage!
Ascii.Disko - Dirty! Filthy!
Dirty Princess - Marine
Rustie - Pendulum

Looks like we're one step closer to the world of tomorrow as envisioned by Brian Aldiss in "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" (the basis for Spielberg's A.I.). Developed by Hanson Robotics, it comes in the form of a little boy companion that goes by the name of Zeno who's a walking, talking, intelligent "conversational" robot. I wonder if there are robo-pedophiles just itching for this guy to go on sale. Between Zeno and the planned Jackobot, the future of robot-edutainment could spell trouble ;)

The prototype will officially be unveiled at Wired's NextFest this weekend in Los Angeles where he's sure to get the interactive robo-lovers all sparking with simulated joy. He'll cost somewhere in the $200 - $300 range when he turns up in your local electronic supermarket sometime in the next two or three years. Really, who wouldn't want their own 17-inch tall, lifelike robot friend?

This one has been on repeat on my iPod today: A slice of pure pop bliss that's as welcome as a cool ocean breeze during this past week of beastly, Hel-L.A. summer weather. From some of today's best songwriters, Saint Etienne, here they capture the effervescence of Abba and The Beach Boys and channel it for the luvved-up generation.

Saint Etienne - Lightning Strikes Twice (from 2005's Tales From Turnpike House)