Category: Folk

  • NEW MUSIC ALERT: TWINKLING LIGHTS EP BY AUNI

    NEW MUSIC ALERT: TWINKLING LIGHTS EP BY AUNI

    LISTEN ON SPOTIFY review by Michael McCarthy I know that the holiday season is largely behind us as I write this on New Year’s Day 2024, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to post this when Auni first sent us to it because I was in dire need of a new computer, which I now have.…

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  • THE BEST OF 2022 (ACCORDING TO LOVE IS POP)

    THE BEST OF 2022 (ACCORDING TO LOVE IS POP)

    by Michael McCarthy (Beaulieu) & Jay Cavalon First of all, I’m sure some of you will think that we’ve put some of these albums in the wrong categories. To that end, all we can say is that the best albums often transcend genre classifications and that this was what we came up with after careful…

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  • #songoftheday = JON BON JOVI: “DO WHAT YOU CAN” (LIVE FROM JERSEY4JERSEY) #songsforourtimes #22

    “When you can’t do what you do / You do what you can,” sings Jon Bon Jovi on his Covid-19-themed song “Do What You Can,” which he debuted last night during Jersey4Jersey, a benefit show on behalf of the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund (NJPRF) to

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  • #songoftheday = GLEN HANSARD: “SONG OF GOOD HOPE” (#songsforourtimes #1)

    As of today, I’m starting something new on Love is Pop. Until the COV-19 virus, otherwise known as the coronavirus, is behind us or we’re at least in a much better position than we’re in right now, I am going to post a song of the day each day that’s relevant to what’s going in…

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  • #songoftheday / #amlistening = POLLY SCATTERGOOD: “RED”

    Spoiler alert: the above video for Polly Scattergood’s seven-minute+ new single, “Red,” is part two of a five-part short film she’ll be releasing this Spring. We’ve included part one here as well.

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  • #songoftheday / #amlistening = DOE PAORO: “MIDNIGHT CHOIR”

    “We’re never-ending,” sings the always impressive singer/songwriter Doe Paoro as the chorus of her inspiring new song “Midnight Choir” comes to its finish, her voice sounding like that of an angel singing to us from up above the clouds.

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  • CONCERT REVIEW: MARIELLE KRAFT WITH VISITING WINE – CITY WINERY 7/19/19

    CONCERT REVIEW: MARIELLE KRAFT WITH VISITING WINE – CITY WINERY 7/19/19

    by Michael McCarthy Last Friday night on July 19th, 2019, I caught Marielle Kraft with opening act Visiting Wine at City Winery in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a great night and I have to start off by praising the venue, which I found most impressive. THE VENUE: CITY WINERY BOSTON First of all, when you…

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  • TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH LUCY SPRAGGAN

    TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY: AN INTERVIEW WITH LUCY SPRAGGAN

    interview by Michael McCarthy Lucy Spraggan hails from the UK and she’s one of the most talented songwriters I’ve ever come to know. In all honesty, her lyrics are brilliant and I can’t think of another artist whose lyrics I like more. She’s truly gifted in that department, her songs often telling stories about real…

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  • #songoftheday / #amlistening = DOE PAORO: “SILVER SPRINGS”

    It’s no secret that singer/songwriter Doe Paoro is one of my favorite artists. If you frequent this site, you undoubtedly know that I regularly interview her. So, it should come as no surprise that I’m in love with her cover of the Stevie Nicks’ classic “Silver Springs.”

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  • BOSTON BOUND: AN INTERVIEW WITH ALFIE OF HUDSON TAYLOR

    BOSTON BOUND: AN INTERVIEW WITH ALFIE OF HUDSON TAYLOR

    interview by Michael McCarthy I first encountered the music of Ireland’s hugely popular duo Hudson Taylor when I caught them opening for Gabrielle Aplin a year ago this month. I’d been a big fan of Gabrielle’s for roughly a half dozen years and was so excited to finally see her live. So much so that…

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  • ALWAYS A PLEASURE: OUR 4TH INTERVIEW WITH DOE PAORO

    ALWAYS A PLEASURE: OUR 4TH INTERVIEW WITH DOE PAORO

    interview by Michael McCarthy Between the intros for our previous three interviews and the live show and album reviews I’ve done covering Doe Paoro and her wonderful music, I feel like I’ve written everything I could possibly say about her already. However, for those of you who are unfamiliar with her and her sound, let…

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  • #songoftheday / #amlistening = LICK NEON: “SLIP”

    Lick Neon has been gathering quite the following from playing basements and bars around their home city (and Love is Pop’s nearest big city) of Boston, but since their adorable folk-pop song “Slip” went live on Spotify about a month ago, they’ve already racked up over 30,000 streams.  Considering what a touching song it is,…

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  • #songoftheday / #amlistening = VANESSA PARADIS: “CES MOTS SIMPLES”

    “CES MOTS SIMPLES,” the beautiful new single by Vanessa Paradis, translates as “these simple words.”  The video of Vanessa swinging with water below her, which she dips her tip-toes in, is rather simple, too. 

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  • TAKE TWO REDUX: OUR 2ND INTERVIEW WITH LARKIN POE, SISTER DUO EXTRAORDINAIRE

    TAKE TWO REDUX: OUR 2ND INTERVIEW WITH LARKIN POE, SISTER DUO EXTRAORDINAIRE

    interview by Michael McCarthy Roughly a year ago, during November of 2017, I interviewed the soulful sisters Megan and Rebecca Lovell, otherwise known as Larkin Poe, about their exquisite sophomore album Peach, which was a potent blend of roots rock, Americana, folk rock and old-school country… with the occasional dash of hip-hop, trap-style percussion! Well,…

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  • DIGGING DEEP: AN IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION WITH SARAH MCQUAID

    DIGGING DEEP: AN IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION WITH SARAH MCQUAID

    Interview by Michael McCarthy Photos of Sarah by Phil Nicholls (www.philnicholls.co.uk) Sarah McQuaid is fast becoming a legendary folk artist in England, although her career began in Ireland. She released her first album, When Two Lovers Meet, in 1997 and has been going strong ever since. Her new album, If We Dig Any Deeper it…

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