Muffins Recipe for NWW
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Artist:Martha & The Muffins
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Album:Metro Music
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Track:Echo Beach - (studio)
Taste-testing some fresh mash-ups last week, I came upon an unholy alliance. Somewhere in France, DJ Le Clown brought together “I Love My Bitch,” rapper Busta Rhymes’ cheerfully raw ode to inner-city romance, and “Echo Beach,” the bittersweet 1980 new-wave anthem by Canadian one-hit wonders Martha & the Muffins.I decided not to stream the result, “Eko Bitch,” as the keystone of a full post because of the incessant repetition of the n-word, albeit pronounced “nigga” and used as a term of endearment. But, hearing the slinky, seductive guitar intro to “Echo Beach” put me in search of the original. And what better time to toast that song than on New Wave Wednesday?In addition to being the only Martha & the Muffins track to have any impact in the U.S. through airplay on alternative and college radio, “Echo Beach” became a staple of new-wave dance clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. It even provided the name of a San Fran nightclub that was a popular South-of-Market destination in the ‘80s.Imagine going to Echo Beach on a weekend night and being on the dance-floor when the disc jockey spun “Echo Beach.” It was pandemonium.Anyway, the song – which recounts a young office worker’s dream of escaping her stultifying job - still sounds pretty good. (Love the horns!) It’s available for a listen here. And, in a bit of perverse glee over its dated look, I’ve also attached the promotional video with singer Martha Johnson garbed like an escapee from a “Star Trek” convention. Calling Captain Kirk!
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