Desert Island Series - Jonka

Jonka is an electro-pop Brooklyn based husband/wife duo whose love is the music of their 1980s childhood: the marriage of pop, synthesizers, dance and rock. They put their betrothed heads together to give us the 10 songs they would want to have with them if trapped on a desert island. Or at least for this week…and their the first of our series of bands to graciously give us the desert island mixtape.

My Delirium - Ladyhawke - Both of us are in love with this girl and this video and this song. As far as retro-80s is concerned, Ladyhawke's got it. She is as cool now as she would have been then.

Heartbeats - The Knife - One of the greatest sounding songs of the last few years. The digital landscape, the depth of the synthesizers and the groove are tremendous. One of our favorite Swedish groups too. Jose Gonzalez, another awesome Swedish artist, did a cover of this song. That's also worth checking out.

Valerie - Steve Winwood - Steve Winwood encapsulated a time for us. Particularly with this song. The late 70's, early 80's. That keyboard and synth sound! Giant landscape of sound that still leaves room to breathe and listen. Steve Winwood is such a great singer and songwriter. It was a tough call between "Valerie" and "That's just the way it is" but the upbeat sound of "Valerie" takes the prize.

Only You - Yaz - This is the best song we never knew we loved so much. A good friend of ours put this song on a mix for us last year and we fell in love with it. I wish I wrote this song (Jon). It's the kind of song I would write. The kind of song I want to write. So full of love. It's romantic and heartfelt. Just like the best songs of the 80's.

Parentheses - The Blow - This song was introduced to us in the last year or so and we both fell in love with the lyrics, the melody and the feeling behind it all. I think this is one of the most genuine, honest and touching songs. It's so playful and it has a great driving beat. The combination is just perfect. I love the imagery of the line "While you're holding me we make a pair of parenthesis." So beautiful. In fact this song has several incredible lyrical moments. Unfortunately this group broke up. One of the members is behind the band Yacht which also does electro-pop/indie type music that we're into these days.

Islands in the Stream - Dolly Parton / Kenny Rogers - Two of the greatest singers of the 70's and 80's together in one of the best duet songs ever. It was written by the Bee-gees. It doesn't get much better than that. There was a period of time when we were obsessed with this song. Right after we got married we were traveling through Belize in Central America. One night as we sat at an Indian restaurant on the beach in a little town called Hopkins, out from the radio playing in this tiny kitchen right off the beach comes "Islands in the Stream." We were shocked and in awe by the timeliness of it all. It was a magical moment in a really special place. Both the song and the personal experience. The harmonies. The disco inspired ballad. Nice!

Happiness is a Warm Gun - Beatles - As much as everyone loves the Beatles, there are many Beatles tunes you wouldn't want to be stranded on an island with! That being said, this song is the most dynamic representation of what the Beatles were capable of and inspired by. The Doo-Wop and early Rock and Roll vocal styles, the experimental sounds and the ability to put it all together in a cohesive and effective way is truly inspiring. I'm always amazed by the depths of a Beatles recording. There's always something new to hear and discover.

Paul Simon - Kodachrome - This song is coming with me to the grave (says Annika). It just grooves and the harmonies are so tight. A few years ago we had the honor and pleasure of meeting Paul Simon. We had a great conversation about songwriting, guitar playing and influences. It was one of the greatest moments ever standing there with one of our favorite songwriters of all time. The whole time we're talking with Paul, all I can hear in my head was "Kodachrome". Turns out both Annika and I were singing that song in our heads at the same time. That happens a lot. There couldn't be a desert island playlist without at least one Paul Simon song. There are too many to choose from but if we have to pick one then this is it.

As - Stevie Wonder - Stevie had to be on our top ten. I (Annika) was obsessed with this song way before George Michael and Mary J. Blige decided to cover it. The background vocals kick ass and I love the raspiness in Stevie's voice. Stevie Wonder is one of the most influential and talented artists of all time. Pop music with incredible depth.

Shadows of the Night - Pat Benetar - We were lucky enough to see Pat Benetar in concert a few months back. Holy crap, she's still got it! Her voice could blow the door right off its hinges. She saved most of her big 80's hits until the very end but she opened the show with "Shadows of the Night". She came right in with those vocals and we both looked at each other with our mouths hanging wide open. Immediately followed by screaming and jumping up to our feet. It felt like 1982! We love that Pat Benatar was born in Brooklyn, NY which is where we live!



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