Hey, hipster! I'm talking to you, guy who walks around the big city with his headphones on, listening to the latest indie rock tunes. (Or am I talking to me? Ah, but I am decidedly unhip. I digress.) The Nickel is here once again to take you back in time, to a time when disco ruled the earth, when Ayatollahs were running rampant over Iran, when nuclear power plant accidents threatened to destroy central Pennsylvania. Yes, folks, we're talking about 1979.

In that particular year, a little band called Gang of Four released their debut album, Entertainment!, which, when you listen to it today, sounds really similar to a lot of the stuff that's being released today. A little too similar if you ask me. So either Gang of Four has a plutonium-powered Delorean, or today's artists are, in fact, ripoff artists. Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in between. Call it what you will: punk, post-punk, dancepunk, punk rock, funk punk, or just plain punk. You'll find that it doesn't matter what you call it, as long as you call it awesome.

So let's take a look at a few bands who owe Gang of Four some royalty money. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite fond of 4 of the 5 bands I'm about to highlight. But a spade is a spade, if you catch my drift. Doesn't mean they can't rock. Now that we've cleared that up, I'll offer you some suggestions on how to take advantage of these crimes in your mixes.

1. "From The Ritz To The Rubble" - Arctic Monkeys - Whatever You Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
   Arctic Monkeys are a great new band out of the UK, telling us about how hard things are when you spend all your nights in dance clubs. Not exactly the political statements that Gang of Four made (they may say "totalitarian", but they're talking about a bouncer), but listen to the funky bass, the uneasy, distorted guitars, and the anxious vocals in both sides of the stereo headphones, and you're not so far off after all.
   Recommendation: This track screams for inclusion on your next Clubbin' Till The Sun Comes Up mix.
   
   
2. "Outsiders" - Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
   The band who ushered in this new wave of post-punk learned their lessons from the Gang well, but also blends a variety of other influences. On this track, they break out the dueling staccato guitars, and lay down a counterpoint bassline to get you and your mates out on the dancefloor, all the while letting you know that you don't need to worry "about being such a freak / or alone". And so begins the nerd dancing revolution.
   Recommendation: "Outsiders" is a perfect fit for counterculture or outcast mixes.
   
   
3. "Decent Days And Nights" - The Futureheads - The Futureheads
   A lot of people out there may mistakenly tell you that The Futureheads are just a Franz Ferdinand clone. Not so! They may draw on the same influences, including our favorite Gang, but the 'heads manage to break away from the Franz mold that they were never really in in the first place. The multi-tracked vocals and the driving, stilted guitar riff secure a catchy tune here.
   Recommendation: Honestly, there aren't a whole lot of mixes you could make that wouldn't be improved by this song.
   
   
4. "Bang Bang Rock And Roll" - Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock And Roll
   Art Brut is what Gang of Four would have been if they had chosen to write songs about being in a band, getting drunk, and engaging in coitus, instead of social criticism. Well, we can't all save the world with a song, I guess. Art Brut sure is having a good time though; I'd say it was infectious, but I'm not in a band, I don't get drunk very often, and I don't kiss and tell.
   Recommendation: You can throw this one onto any Hey Ma, I'm In a Band, Top o' the World mix.
   
   
5. "Banquet" - Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
   The worst criminals on this list, saved for last. Do I understand the hype around Bloc Party? No. Are they any different from any of the other 300 indie rock bands around today? Not terribly. Could you put their songs side-by-side with Gang of Four songs and play the Taste Test game with an uninitiated listener and convince them that all the songs were from the same band? Yes. Do I perk up my ears each time I hear one of Bloc Party's songs on my own mixes and say, "Hey, who is this again? Not bad."? Regrettably, yes.
   Recommendation: Put "Banquet" on the same mixes as these other ones. All these songs are interchangeable anyway.

The Nickel is a weekly(ish) feature on Mixologists where we highlight 5 songs that will elevate your mixes to a new level that you could not possibly have previously imagined. We here at Mixologists have no problem making you cooler. After all, you need the help.