PictureJosef K
Taking their name from the protagonist in Franz Kafka's novel The Castle, Josef K was a leading light in Scotland's neo-pop revival in the late '70's and early '80's. The band's material was quirky and dark, gently foreboding and slightly uneasy. No surprise they were the darlings of John Peel, the BBC 1 DJ known for his eclectic taste in off-kilter pop music. I remember picking up this single in the UK because of its intriguing black label with black print inside a black sleeve with the name Josef K scrawled across the cover in a lighter shade of black. The color scheme and literary reference didn't bode well, but the song, “Chance Meeting,” has always been, in my mind, one of the classic songs from that era. Like Joy Division, stark and oblique — while somehow managing to also be catchy at the same time. Not to mention the fact that it's Chance's birthday and every dog should have a fab song with their name in the title played for them on their birthday! 

The Happy Medium Song of the Day is “Chance Meeting” by Josef K.