Category: synthpop

  • Ever since the release of her 2006 debut Alright, Still we’ve been able to count on Lily Allen for brutal honesty and biting sarcasm. On said debut, there was a song called “Alfie” during which she accused her brother of being a lazy stoner. And on “Knock ‘Em Out” she dissed guys who would dare…

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  • If you don’t like it when we post foreign language stuff then you’ll want to stay away from this tune, which is an infectious slice of Italo pop, Roisin doing the old school Italian thing… And, we must say, she does it marvelously… Such a breath-taking tune.

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  • Sylvan Esso’s “Play It Right” is one of those magical songs you listen to and wonder if it was made on another planet because it sounds so very original. But, yes, it was made here on earth (obviously), using lots of little organic sounds looped around thunderous beats and loud, blaring synth courtesy of the…

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  • The duo known as no:carrier was formed in Germany in 1995 and has been active with its current line-up since 2001. These days, they operate through a great distance with producer/keyboardist/occasional vocalist Chris Wirsig living in San Francisco, California while main vocalist Cynthia Wechselberger continues to reside in her home country of Germany. But I…

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  • Cheerleader started off as a bedroom exercise, longtime buddies Joe Haller (vocals/guitar) and Chris Duran (guitar) making various demos with Garageband. But in 2013 the Connecticut natives got serious and relocated to Philadelphia where they completed the band’s line-up with Joshua Pannepacker (keyboards/guitar), Paul Impellizeri (bass) and Carl Bahner (drums). Today they’re opening for The…

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  • Is there such a thing as cold war chic? That’s how I keep hearing Client described, though I think it’s more of a reference to their album covers and videos than to their music. After all, Authority is their fifth album and it’s only the first to show the women’s faces on the cover. Previous…

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  • The xx are known for some fairly dark music, but Jamie xx’s new solo tune, “Girl,” is a much brighter affair with its chugging bass and shiny synth. It begins very much in the electro-pop vein and quickly morphs into synth pop before it surrenders to a post house sound during what we assume is…

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  • Noblesse Oblige’s “Voices In My Head” is the final song on their stellar 2013 album Affair of the Heart and it’s an uber-moody, downtempo track that just might have you hearing voices in your own head. The Mylène Farmer meets Massive Attack tune has been one of our favorite Noblesse Oblige songs since we first…

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  • “Boom, clap, you make me feel good, come on to me, come on to me,” sings Charli Kiss Charlie Kiss during the magnificent chorus of her highly addictive new song “Boom Clap,” which just might be the best pop song we’ve heard so far this year. From the sonorous beats to the electro embellishments to…

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  • The UK’s Bat and Ball are an immensely-talented outfit with co-lead vocalists Abi and Chris Sinclair hailing from West Country. While the two began writing and performing with various bands in their early teens, they never actually played in a band together until they both moved to London to study at Goldsmiths College, at which…

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  • Today’s song of the day is a hot — and downright infectious– remix of Petite Meller’s charming song “Backpack” by the French DJ known as Marlin. Although this remix packs a hard beat like the original version of the song, said beat isn’t quite as boisterous. It’s actually a longer, jumbo beat but it’s just…

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  • I always liked the idea of sharing playlists with our readers but the idea never really took flight.  I asked my writers to contribute playlists as well as some musicians but nobody was into it.  I guess you need to be a big magazine like NYLON to get artists to share playlists with you.  In…

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  • This luscious ballad begins with Katy B singing softly over melancholic piano notes. “I still see your face like it was only yesterday,” she sings, her voice full of longing. Once it arrives at the chorus, a sticky electro-beat beat begins throbbing away accompanied rhythmic live percussion and humming synth. “Still, still on my mind…

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