Monthly Archives: July 2013

#albumoftheday MARNIE: CRYSTAL WORLD

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Marnie is the immensely-talented lead singer, and one of the songwriters and keyboardists, of the popular electronic pop outfit Ladytron. This album — her solo debut — was produced by Ladytron’s Daniel Hunt, along with the Icelandic musician Barði Jóhannsson, and so it sounds an awful lot like a Ladytron record. And that,...
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REVIEW: WE ARE SCIENTISTS: SOMETHING ABOUT YOU / LET ME WIN

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Word around the campfire is that We Are Scientists recorded their forthcoming fifth album, but their creative juices were still flowing after they’d finished it, so they kept on writing and recording songs. Apparently, this double A-side consists of two of those songs, which supposedly won’t be on the album. “Something About You”...
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INTRODUCING: APRIL KAE

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April Kae Love Bomb single album cover art
You may remember April Kae from season 10 of American Idol. The gorgeous blonde singer auditioned in San Francisco and impressed the judges with her potent voice and star quality, successfully moving on to “Hollywood Week.” But her musical journey began many years earlier when she took vocal lessons and studied classical piano...
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SINGLE SPOTLIGHT: ELIZA DOOLITTLE: BIG WHEN I WAS LITTLE

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Eliza Doolittle’s catchy new single, “Big When I Was Little,” finds the pop singer/songwriter cheerfully reflecting on the past, reminiscing about growing up. Against hopped-up, punchy beats, reggae flourishes and grooving horns, Eliza sings some of her wittiest lyrics yet. “Sorting through my memories / got naked on the floor / my diaries...
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#albumoftheday NINA NESBITT: WAY IN THE WORLD

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If you count her live E.P., Live Take, Way in the World is Scottish singer-songwriter/guitarist Nina Nesbitt’s fifth E.P. Like many before her, Nina began her career informally by recording songs in her bedroom and posting videos on Youtube, where she quickly garnered millions of plays. Early on, she met Ed Sheeran and...
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REVIEW: THE JOY FORMIDABLE: SILENT TREATMENT E.P.

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The Joy Formidable’s new Silent Treatment E.P. opens with a William Orbit remix of the haunting ballad, which probably sounds exactly how you’d expect a William Orbit remix of the song to sound. If you’re not familiar with the original, which appears as track two here, it’s a very mellow, acoustic ballad without...
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#albumoftheday PET SHOP BOYS: ELECTRIC

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In spite of the fact that they co-produced it with the brilliant Stuart Price, I was not expecting much from this album. The duo’s previous album, Elysium, which was released just 10 months ago, just wasn’t very impressive. It was more than a little ambient, lacking the sort of catchy beats we’ve come...
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#albumoftheday Aniaetleprogrammeur: The friendly expectations of the stars

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Although they’re Berlin-based today, Aniaetleprogrammeur (pronounced: Ania et le programmeur) were formed in Paris in 2005. The trio consists of Hanrigabriel (direction/guitars/vox/synths), Tata Christiane (synths/machines) and Valquire Veljkovic (lights/synths/bass). (I recently reviewed Valquire Veljkovic’s fascinating side project Deer Howling.) They are a “multidisciplinary art collective” involved in music, fashion design (with the brand...
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REVIEW: LORDE: TENNIS COURT

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Usually I’m in the know when it comes to up and coming pop stars, but I have to admit that Lorde totally flew under my radar until today. She released an EP called The Love Club during December 2012 — I just bought it from iTunes — but I don’t recall seeing any...
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#albumoftheday TONY HARNELL & THE WILDFLOWERS

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Tony Harnell was the lead singer of the hard rock/heavy metal band TNT for 22 years until he left in 2006. If you’re a fan of the genre then chances are that you’re already familiar with him and are a fan of his music. Like Freddie Mercury or Robert Plant, Tony has one...
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#albumoftheday STARKILL: FIRES OF LIFE

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Fires of Life is the fist full-length album by the Chicago-based band Starkill, who previously self-released an E.P. in 2010 under the name Massakren. The band was formed in 2008 by Parker Jameson (lead guitar, vocals, keyboards, orchestral programming), Spencer Weidner (drums) and Charlie Federici (guitars). Bassist Mike Buetsch was added later, completing...
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#albumoftheday SARA BAREILLES: THE BLESSED UNREST

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It’s hard to believe that Sara Bareilles is already on album number three. Alas, her major label debut, Little Voice, was released in 2007. And I’m pretty sure there’s still a radio station somewhere playing its huge hit single, “Love Song,” at any given moment. Of course, her second album, Kaleidoscope Heart, also...
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#albumoftheday DARKANE: THE SINISTER SUPREMACY

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Hailing from Sweden, Darkane blend melodic death metal and technical thrash metal, yielding a highly energetic and wholly captivating sound that reminds me of early, Kill ‘Em All era Metallica at times, while calling to mind later day Slayer and newer bands like Mastodon and Opeth at others. The Sinister Supremacy sees the...
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SELENA GOMEZ: STARS DANCE, A TRACK-BY-TRACK REVIEW

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Selena Gomez Stars Dance album cover art large
Stars Dance is Selena Gomez’s highly anticipated fourth album. It’s also her solo debut, following three albums with her band The Scene. The album’s first single, “Come & Get It,” was released on April 8, 2013 and made it all the way to the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her...
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FEATURE/PROFILE/#albumoftheday GABRIELLE APLIN: ENGLISH RAIN

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Gabrielle Aplin grew up in a small town called Chippenham in Wiltshire, England. Her parents bought her her first guitar when she was just 11 years old. She grew up listening to Bruce Springsteen and Joni Mitchell and she cites them as influences. She’s also a big fan of singer/songwriters like Leonard Cohen...
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