"The Safety Dance" by Llama Tsunami

 

Norwich, Connecticut ska band Llama Tsunami surprise us with the victory cry....and horns.... lots of horns.... on their remake of Montreal, Canada new wave band Men Without Hats' 1982 synth pop single "The Safety Dance." 

Their cover, while good, pales in comparison to their band naming skills.

Llama Tsunami?  Chef's kiss.

For another Men Without Hats cover, Barcelona's version of "Pop Goes the World" can be found here.

"Pop Goes the World" by Barcelona

 

If the discography of Men Without Hats were a Popeye's menu, "The Safety Dance" would be the 4 piece chicken, and "Pop Goes the World" would be the mashed potatoes with Cajun gravy.  Definitely delicious, but not the star of the show.

Which is a shame, because I've always liked this song better.  The simple but INCREDIBLY catchy keyboard hook propels this toward the top of my personal favorite songs of the '80s.

Barcelona stayed pretty true to the original.  Meaning, that keyboard riff was kept intact.  

The drums sound pre-programmed, so they weren't played by a big Bonhomme (I admit, I had to look this up.  It's a French Canadian thing.  Then, I watched the original video of the song, with the big Bonhomme on drums. Which would have been great, if I were someone who likes a good dose of nightmare fuel with their synth pop).

The only change I'd have made here is with the vocals.  If Jason Korzen and Jennifer Carr had harmonized à la Lowland Hum or traded off verses, it would have been an improvement over both of them singing in unison.

Regardless, this retelling of the story of Johnny and Jenny and The Human Race is all sorts of fun.