Grapthar's Song of the Day: The Buggles - 'Living in the Plastic Age'

band, who were very much 'of their time'. They were formed in 1977 in London, England by Trevor Horn (vocals, bass) and Geoffrey Downes (keyboards), and had a massive hit single in 1979 with Video Killed the Radio Star, which was sort of the perfect anthem for the '70s moving into the '80s, and the rise of MTV and bands/artists needing more of a visual appeal in addition to just good music. Both members of The Buggles were incredibly talented musicians, and despite the single having a quirky, silly vibe at times, their songs are actually very complex both harmonically and arrangement-wise, and they embraced what was at the time cutting edge technology in synthesizers and digital sound design. The duo also joined prog. rock legends Yes in 1981, and released a second album the following year, before their break-up.

which was released at the beginning of 1980. It is a loose concept album, which discusses the problems and repercussions of modern technology (probably influenced by DEVO). The entire album has a consistent theme sonically too, as they utilized some synth sounds that are (now) very iconic, helping to tie every track together, despite the obvious harmonic differences between them. The Chorus to this track is really beautiful, and shows Horn's skills as songwriter were at a peak at this point. If you like this song, I would, of course, recommend checking out the album in it's entirety, but specifically the tracks Elstree and Kid Dynamo, which are more examples of the band at their finest. There is something so catchy and interesting about the whole aesthetic of this album and the band as a whole that is well-worth discovering.