Category: Pop (Page 40 of 216)

Me, Myself, and iPod 6/9/10: They work in bars. Whether they are all on drugs remains unknown

June 9, 2010 /

esd ipod

Strange. I thought that the closer we got to summer, the more awesome mp3s I’d have for all y’all. Instead, it appears the opposite is happening. Like I said, strange.

The Chap – We Work in Bars
I’m not 100% sold on this London band, but there’s a spirit to the work that I find appealing. Definitely want to hear more before officially passing judgment.

The Mercury Program – Arrived/Departed
This made the cut for one reason: the delay-driven guitar line at the beginning of the song is a near note-for-note copy of the beginning to the song “Outside” by the late, great band Tribe. These guys obviously took it in a much different direction (an instrumental, moody jazzy direction, that is), and that’s cool.

Hot Hot Heat – Goddess on the Prairie
You have to feel a little bad for these guys. When people start making jokes about the ’00s, these guys will be near the top of the One Hit Wonder joke list, and the worst part is that even the members of the band don’t like that song and wish they had never recorded it. This song, from their new album Future Breeds, which came out this week, shows the band, well, pretty much where the world left them. Give them points for not suddenly pretending to be Franz Ferdinand.

Parlovr – Pen to the Paper
Is Montreal the new Brooklyn? Or was Montreal Montreal before Brooklyn became the destination of choice for musical immigrants? Either way, this song has a driving quality to it that brings out the New Order fan in me.

Alternative, Artists, CD Reviews, Dance, Downloads, Instrumental, Jazz, Me Myself and iPod, Pop, Rock

We Are Scientists: Barbara

June 9, 2010 /


RIYL: Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, Sloan

After spending two albums and roughly four years shuffling around the EMI family tree – Virgin released their 2006 album With Love and Squalor (a.k.a. The Kitty Album), while 2008’s Brain Thrust Mastery was released by Astralwerks – New York smart alecks We Are Scientists are going out on their own (with the help of R.E.D. Distribution) on their fourth album, Barbara. Now that the band is paying the bills, it should come as no surprise that they jettisoned the sonic experimentation of Brain Thrust Mastery in favor of the ‘record only what we can play’ approach of With Love and Squalor, though in fairness to them, economics are only half of it; the band has a new full-time drummer in the form of ex-Razorlight skinsman Andy Burrows, so you can see why head Scientists Keith Murray and Chris Cain were eager to get back to sounding like a live band rather than a studio creation.

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The album is not a carbon copy of Squalor, though. Yes, leadoff track and first single “Rules Don’t Stop” will have fans of “The Great Escape” jumping for joy, but Murray isn’t ready to give up on the melodic territory he explored with his vocal tracks last time around. “I Don’t Bite” has a high, ringing vocal that was nonexistent on Squalor, and “Pittsburgh” has the album’s best pure pop chorus. Pity the band phoned in the album’s artwork, which looks like it was assembled in the cab on the way to the printing plant. (Masterswan Recordings 2010)

We Are Scientists MySpace page
Click to buy Barbara from Amazon

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Power Pop, Rock

Andy Bell: Non-Stop

June 7, 2010 /


RIYL: Erasure, Hercules and Love Affair, being absolutely freakin’ fabulous

It’s clear after listening to Andy Bell’s latest solo effort Non-Stop that he’s the happy half of the synth-pop duo Erasure. While both Erasure and Bell’s solo material primarily consist of poppy synth-pop melodies with dance floor-friendly beats, the lyrical content of Erasure songs are always melancholy, introspective and down. Maybe Vince Clarke, the other half of the legendary synth-pop duo, likes to bring you down when you get your groove on. Conversely Bell’s solo tunes are, with rare exception, just as happy, upbeat and hopeful as the synth-heavy music that accompanies them. About as down as Bell gets on Non-Stop is “Will You Be There?” where he questions a lover’s reliability. But the tone of the song pretty much assumes that the answer to the titular question is a resounding “yes.” Almost every other track on this stellar solo effort is an excursion into fabulous happiness, climaxing in the brilliant “DHDQ,” which stands for “Debbie Harry Drag Queen.” It’s a track tailor-made to be the theme song for the next season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” It, like just about every other track here, is a sure-fire hit for gay clubs across the world, don’t try to be ‘manly’ and pass them up. ‘Real’ men can listen to dance-pop while sipping on Appletinis too, dammit. Well, they can at least listen to dance-pop. (Mute 2010)

Andy Bell MySpace Page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Electronica, Melodramatic, Pop

Nada Surf: If I Had a Hi-Fi

June 4, 2010 /


RIYL: Josh Rouse, Rogue Wave, The Silver Seas

The cool thing about alt-pop band Nada Surf is that they appear to always do things their own way. For whatever reason, though, they stayed together all these years and broke through in 2005 with The Weight Is a Gift, which was produced by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla. The band continued some of that magic with 2008’s Lucky, and instead of lying low as they had planned, decided to release an album of cover tunes. Fast-forward to today, and If I Had a Hi-Fi. While it’s a set of songs that varies widely from the known (Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” and The Moody Blues’ “Question”) to the currently hip (The Go Betweens’ “Love Goes On” and Spoon’s “Agony of Lafitte”) to the mostly obscure (Bill Fox’s “Electrocution” and Macromina’s “Evolucion”), the base of this is Nada Surf’s signature sound, which is akin to Josh Rouse or Ben Folds fronting a modern version of the Beatles. And it’s that sound that is so endearing. That said, there is something about this album that, while nice enough, may leave you wanting more. That could be because Nada Surf’s original material is that good, or it could be that they just chose these songs on a whim based on what they were listening to at the moment. Surely we can’t fault them for taking chances, because they even covered Kate Bush’s “Love and Anger.” But one or two covers on a new Nada Surf record would have worked just as well. (Mardev 2010)

Nada Surf MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop

Me, Myself, and iPod 6/3/10: A true Disney princess

June 3, 2010 /

esd ipod

Memorial Day, plus a super-busy movie screening schedule, threw this week into complete chaos. It didn’t help that I’ve been sick. I know, wah wah wah. Sorry, I’ll quit whining.

The Like – He’s Not a Boy
With Mark Ronson at the helm, the Like out-Locksley Locksley with this catchy slice of ’60s pop.

Cowboy Junkies – Cicadas
The press release boasts of the band finally operating independently, but that’s about the only thing that appears to have changed about the band, from the sound of this song from their upcoming album Renmin Park.

Quitzow – Cherry Blossom
Man, who slipped Daft Punk the ecstasy? I want to shake that person’s hand.

Setting Sun – Sacrifice
Fans of Joseph Arthur and Pete Yorn, take note.

Anna Rose – Whispers
She’s Alan Menken’s daughter. Yes, that Alan Menken. But this tune is closer to Joni Mitchell than “Kiss the Girl.”

'60s, Adult Contemporary, Americana, Artists, Dance, Downloads, Electronica, Me Myself and iPod, Pop

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