Time for another post of retro covers of choons from that oh-so-glorious decade, thee 80z. The long-awaited second installment of RobotSound™s I <3 the 80s has arrived [for Vol.1, click here]. So bust out your best modern romantic get-up and dance to some 21st century re-imaginings of these Alternative (back when that actually meant something) Rock hits.

Chromatics - Running Up That Hill [Demo]
Enjoy this Kate Bush classic, then pick up the Chromatics Shining Violence 12" out on Italians Do It Better. Better yet, get the After Dark comp.

Scratch Massive - Three Imaginary Boys
These sexy Parisians just did a soundtrack album which has their cover of Marianne Faithful's Broken English. Here they re-interpret an early Cure track. Massive!

Travelogue - Europa
Travelogue [aka Jon Sonnenberg] has carried forth the synthpop torch from pioneers like Thomas Dolby. Don't be one of the "pirate twins" Dolby sings of -pick up some of Travelogue's releases here.

Dirty Sanchez - U Got The Look
Who better than Dirty Sanchez to cover the artist currently known as Prince's duet with Sheena E (who used to shill for the gym I belong to). Take a look at a recent video they made for their ode to the kids in Saigon and the punks in Taiwan, Youth In Asia.

lb - Be Near Me [Backup Read Error]
The last release Atom™ made as Lassigue Bendthaus was 1998's Pop Artificielle LP, featuring this ABC synthpop anthem, as well as songs from David Bowie, John Lennon, and The Stones. What's your reputation?

CMYK - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?
I usually don't post two tracks from the same artist in one post, but given that he's mr. prolific (and he's done his fair share of covers), I couldn't resist including Atom™s Senor Coconut-esque vibraphone rendition of this time-honored Culture Club number. Yes, George, I REALLY WANT TO HURT YOU! j/k

If someone were to ask me what my orientation is, I would have to say, "Electrosexual." Like the title of one of Imatran Voima's 12"s states, Electro Is Aural Sex. I can't quite place my finger on it (so to speak), but there's something that's just so sexy about it. Maybe something to do with the beats being good to have sex to? I wouldn't know. [I'm a robot, remember?]

For a significant number of acts in the electrosphere, sex figures heavily into the equation. I suppose sex has always been a fixture in the mix along with drugs and rock n' roll, but with these guys, it's just a bit more blatant. You need only hear the names of the bands to realize that there's sumpin' jiggy going on.