Music Monday: “Ultraviolet” by Pseudo Echo

I must share my favorite musical discovery of the past year. You may remember Pseudo Echo; they had a big moment in the 80s with their cover of “Funkytown.” An Australian band, they were very popular in their home country, but “Funkytown” was their only Top 40 hit in the US.

(As a side note, that makes “Funkytown” a hit for two separate one-hit wonders in the US: Pseudo Echo in 1987, and Lipps Inc, who released the original in 1980.) Pseudo Echo also got some airplay on MTV with “Living in a Dream,” one of my favorite songs from that era. They split up in 1990.

Fast-forward to 2014, when a re-formed Pseudo Echo crowd-funded the release of a new album “Ultraviolet.” The title track is an infectious dance-pop earworm every bit as catchy as their best output of the 80s.

I have been listening to that song for almost a decade, but it only recently occurred to me to check out the rest of the album. The first song, “Amazing Sound,” is even more infectious than the title track. Both those tracks are on extremely high rotation on my playlist.

“Amazing Sound” is (mostly) an instrumental, a little reminiscent of 1987’s “A Letter from St. Paul” by The Silencers, itself a great song. I just love the bass groove.

Also worth recommending is Pseudo Echo’s follow-up from 2015, “Live at the Viper Room.” It features “Ultraviolet” alongside many 80s favorites (one with a mid-song AC/DC side trip.)