#a simple design

[oobbbear]

i want to know how colorblind people animate cause i can see colors fine and i still have to stare at frames like this for a few solid minutes to understand what is what

[pinklikeroses]

A mermei for mermay 💚💕💞

[manysmallhands]

#41: The Juan Maclean - A Simple Design

Released - Nov 7 2014

Highest UK chart position - did not chart -

Spotify streams to date - 3,857,051

First heard - Bought In A Dream LP, 2022

I bought two great The Juan Maclean albums this year and I wanted to include a song here so as to be up to date with what I’m listening to right now. The Brighter The Light is a fantastic collection of house bangers but I think I prefer the slightly more cerebral approach of its predecessor, In A Dream. A Simple Design was its lead single and ticks every box - it’s a fun, dancefloor oriented tune full of memorable hooks, but with enough focus on song structure and arch nods to early synthpop to give it a more substantial feel. 

The great brainflash of John Maclean during this period was moving on from New Romantic cosplay into something with a more soulful touch: the throwbacks to the 80s which had always peppered his songs are still here, but he adds a warmth and playfulness that had been lacking, the ideal foil for Nancy’s wonderfully imperious vocal. She sings with a sharp, didactic edge and it’s this, along with her way with a melody, that lies at the heart of A Simple Design's greatness, combining self help pointers with a romantic touch to land somewhere between the Human League and Will Powers. 

The thing I love most about it is how she moves from the holler of the chorus (a great one to yell out if yr walking in an isolated area) to the sweet “la la la la la”  of the bridge, a more delicate touch that makes it stand out from the numerous club 12”s that they’ve released. It’s the best bit of the song but, notably, there was no room for its subtlety in the plethora of remixes that have appeared. In A Dream was the last proper John and Nancy LP and, while the Juan Maclean still exists as a solo project, A Simple Design feels like a pinnacle that they’ve never really topped. Though it's the song here that I’ve known for the least amount of time, it was one of the first that I picked and remains a sharp reminder to me that I really should have listened to them before.

[rockthatfunkybeat]

[phantomeyes]

[farty-art]

SKATE FAST // EAT ASS

[music4thebasshead]

The Juan Maclean 'A Simple Design' (Purple Disco Machine Remix)