Month: September 2016

  • “I only want you when I’m wasted,” sings jazz pop songstress Nikki Yanofsky on her red hot new single “Miss You When I’m Drunk,” a song that reminds me of the late Amy Winehouse with its soulfulness and lively tempo. The big difference here is that there isn’t any grit to Nikki’s voice. Instead, her…

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  • Today Yann Tiersen releases EUSA, his first album of solo piano works, and it’s one of his most beautiful releases to date. It is, quite literally, one awe-inspiring moment of elation after another, providing lots of opportunities for the listener to bask in its brilliant light. The concept behind the record is fascinating; Tiersen was…

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  • The Pretty Reckless take a detour with this one and it leads them to a very different place. Although the sound is still hard rock, it’s not in the metal vein like most of their songs. It’s kind of soulful, a little bluesy and has a distinct classic rock vibe to it. If you just…

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  • “My God is better than your God is better than her God,” so sings Chloe Baker, better known as bitter’s kiss, on her touching new single “My God,” which points out how religious people everywhere all believe that their God is better than everybody else’s God. It’s a light-hearted enough song, but the message is…

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  • I love it when artists and producers I love team up and this song is one such blessed union. It’s the latest track by Laure Shang, who’s famous in the Mando and Canto pop worlds but sings in English as much as Chinese, and it’s produced by Guy Sigsworth, whose work with Madonna and Björk…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy I recently had the opportunity to hear The Incubus, the forthcoming, third album by Revival Records’ group Famous Last Words, which is due out on September 30th. I’m not a big fan of post hardcore bands, and I admittedly don’t know much about the scene, but when I love an album,…

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  • You’d expect a song called “Away For The Weekend” to be some sicken, sweet, saccharine, shit, but not in this case… Tammy’s “Away For The Weekend” is an intoxicating, trippy ballad-esque tune that’s much more inclined to soothe your soul than get you dancing… Now, if you want to zone out and dance in your…

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  • I caught Jenny Lewis live in Boston at the The Wang Theatre in Boston this past Tuesday night, 9/13/16. What a fantastic show. It was one of her 10th anniversary of Rabbit Fur Coat shows, Rabbit Fur Coat being her first solo effort. The album featured the exquisite Watson Twins on backing vocals and they…

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  • Singer/songwriter KT Tunstall has been a favorite of mine ever since the first time I heard “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” years ago. For many people, that was the only song of hers that they’d ever hear, since it was the only one that most radio stations — at least in the Boston area…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy When I decided to interview some people who weren’t musicians for Love is Pop, novelist Jay Asher was high up on my wish list. If an author can be a pop culture icon – and I certainly believe that they can – then Jay Asher is one of the biggest icons…

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy When I started Love is Pop there were a handful of massive artists that I hoped to someday interview and high up on that list was Sophie Ellis-Bextor, a gorgeous pop singer – and songwriter – from England. So, believe me when I say I am beyond excited to bring you…

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  • Chrissie Hynde, otherwise known as The Pretenders, has teamed up with none other than The Black Key’s Dan Aurerbach for a new album coming soon — see press release below — and the lead single, “Holy Commotion!” is fantastic. It kicks off with some serious beats before chugging bass guitar and synth drop into the…

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  • The title track from K-Pop girl group Red Velvet’s Russian Roulette is about as catchy as K-Pop gets… which is, as we say in Massachusetts, wicked catchy! It has a lovely melody, lively beats, an infectious chorus and adorable voices — what more could you want from your K-Pop? Nothing!

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  • interview by Michael McCarthy Earlier this year I finally had the opportunity to interview Michael Sweet, lead singer and co-lead guitarist of Stryper, after wanting to interview him for 20 years since I started doing music journalism. During the interview, Michael revealed the probable title of his forthcoming solo album, One Side War. Well, that…

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