In Rip It Up and Start Again, Simon Reynolds speaks of the pop-tinged side of New Wave, from the increasingly accessible New Order to the instantly ubiquitous Duran Duran, as being lyrically and musically steeped in escapism: nouveau romantic soundtracks for films yet to be made. This analysis of the first half of the 1980s is dead-on; when was the last time a modern pop or dance song, even one that intentionally evokes the '80s, able to really take the listener to another world altogether? The post-punk era was absolutely brimming with sonic dreams to get lost in, a kind of seriousness that is only ever just imitated now."Haunted Cocktails" is one such slab of brilliant New Wave dance music, being both dreamy and moody, yet infectious and anthemic, with a vocal quality not unlike that of Siouxsie Sioux.The Haunted Mix is the requisite dub/instrumental remix with only backing vocals. The A-side has the full vocal, but on this 12", at least, doesn't have the best sound quality. It's nothing that can't be fixed with some judicious EQ, but it's a bit shocking how muted it sounds compared to the B-side. I can see why they re-recorded it for the 1984 Sob Stories album (credited to Jacqui Brookes rather than Intro). The album version is shorter and I think has the same vocal, but re-recorded instruments, including a "hard" snare, for better or for worse. It's not bad, and is mostly the same, but by far I prefer these original 12" mixes from 1983.I expected the B-side, "Departures", to be a throwaway. It is quite different in feel, being a minimal, downtempo lament (or love theme; I can't tell). It's mainly just a slow 808 and synth bass and pads, with Jacqui's heavily reverbed vocal providing atmosphere rather than discernible lyrical content. A thoughtful touch of flamenco-style guitar comes in near the end, and lends an air of sophistication.I'm quite pleased with the entire record and recommend it to any fans of New Wave and dream-pop.