ARTIST

Simon & Milo

This gets a little confusing. The Canadian electro-pop duo Prozzäk consists of Simon, a sad sack and hopeless romantic from the Isle of Man, and his Teutonic buddy Milo, a taller, better-looking, and more self-confident bloke from Austria. The U.S. branch of the duo's Canadian label, Epic Records, released their 1998 debut, "Hot Show," to almost no American reception (although it had been an enormous hit in Canada, thanks to its inventive videos and catchy bubblegum pop tunes) and passed on releasing the follow-up, 2000's "Saturday People."

When Epic dropped the ball on Prozzäk, the Disney-owned imprint Hollywood Records picked them up and released 2002's "Ready Ready Set Go," a slightly remixed compilation of tracks from both previous Prozzäk albums. Partially as a way of making a fresh U.S. start for the duo, and partially to appease the makers of the similarly named anti-depressant, Hollywood Records re-christened the duo Simon & Milo for their American releases (they remain Prozzäk in Canada). They also completely redesigned Milo, making him both more handsome and more cartoony.

Redesigned? Oh right, did we mention that Simon & Milo are actually cartoon characters? In the real world, Simon & Milo are Jason Levine and James McCollum, two members of the Toronto soul-pop band The Philosopher Kings, who had originally invented their '80s synth pop-obsessed European alter egos to amuse themselves on the tour bus crossing the Canadian prairies between gigs. Ironically, what had begun as a silly side project quickly eclipsed The Philosopher Kings, both commercially and creatively.

Written by Stewart Mason, All Music Guide