Who says modern rock and roll is only for pretty faces and the scantily clad? In 2002 Nargis, an imaginative young Afghan woman with a golden ear, attended a Western music workshop organized by Kabul's Ministry of Culture. Aided by participating German musicians, she found her way behind a drum kit and a microphone; fatefully, her performance went to tape. Two veiled compatriots joined Nargis to form Burka Band — a female trio with all the innocent enthusiasm, the musical and visual stylings of early-1980s European dada and American MTV — and the autobiographical dance tune "Burka Blue" emerged in Berlin's underground music scene. Duesseldorf independent label Ata Tak adopted the austere, fledgling artists and released a 7-inch vinyl single of "Burka Blue" and B-side "No Burka!" as well as a compact disc embedded with a pair of music videos. Then came good press: Der Spiegel, Die Ziet, Newsweek Polska and Asian News (whose article is by far the most informative).

The band's anthem can be heard here. Minimal; earnest. Catchy. No glitz, no polish, no piquant names: just a girl in a powder blue shroud against a peeling, key lime green wall. Flock of Seagulls might as well have been in the next room over filming "I Ran." And a sensation is born. (Hat tip, Rebecca MacKinnon.)

IRONICALLY ENOUGH: The band's namesake may not hold cultural significance for much longer, as Kabul, flooded with fashion influences from Indian movies, is rapidly liberalizing. (Via Arthur Chrenkoff.)