With a bouncy, chuggy beat accented by continually shaking sleigh bells, a flute somewhere in the background and a disembodied chorus of “ooh-ooh”s, “Strange Powers” manages to be part oompah, part fast buggy ride over the boardwalk and 100% hooky. Frontman, multi-instrumentalist and lead vocal Stephen Merritt’s laconic baritone is swathed in reverb amongst all the musical merriment, as he delivers his declarations of infatuation via deceptively cynical lyrics. It takes at least two listens to figure out quite what’s happening. But at a mere 2:42, it’s such a catchy tune I’m betting you’ll play it more than twice.

Though it still sounds fresh as a daisy, “Strange Powers” was originally released way back in 1994 on Holiday. It is also the title of a 2010 documentary on the band (which is primarily Merritt’s baby) that can be rented on Amazon. I’m going to have to check it out and get back to you all.

Plug the song into your Pandora or download it from iTunes or Amazon.