The Lovemakers

So far, it's been mostly disaffected techno kids who have been conjuring up this '80s renaissance that we're enjoying (or is it a Dark Ages that we're mired in?). The Lovemakers, on the other jelly-braceleted hand, come out of Oakland, California's indie rock scene, and present themselves more as a proper New Wave band than the current crop of electroclash chick-and-a-laptop outfits like Adult. and Crossover do.

So there's a guy with a guitar (Scott Blonde) and a girl with a bass (Lisa Light) and they sometimes sing duets. The best of these is "Internet Girlfriend," a jealousy spat between the two, who are a real-life couple, over Light's new cyber-sweetie. (Choice line: "She sends me pictures and she looks hot/I zoom zoom in but all I see are dots.") The flashbacks to New Order are impossible to avoid -- anchoring the trio is Jason Proctor, a Manchester native, whose one-finger synthesizer riffs and stuttering drum machine claps sound as if they've been entombed in some Factory Records vault for the last 20 years. Together, the Lovemakers leave quite a wet spot after a show -- the onstage sexual electricity is enough to burn out your Lite-Brite.