Category: Reviews
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review by Michael McCarthy all photos by Joshua Bernard When OK GO hit The Paradise stage in Boston on Wednesday night the crowd had no idea what it was in for. That is, of course, unless they’d been reading spoilers online. Following a video clip featuring iconic movies and TV shows that ended with Kermit…
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I find it interesting that U2 is credited for writing all of the music for this album with Bono and The Edge credited for writing all of the lyrics. The reason I find this interesting is that they worked with an awful lot of song-writers on this album. Namely, Ryan Tedder, Danger Mouse, Paul Epworth…
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Smoke Season was formed during early 2013 and combines the diverse talents of Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen. Their music is quite the hybrid, combining elements of Americana, folk, rock and electronica. They’ve recently garnered attention with their successful August residency at the Los Angeles venue The Echoplex. Hot Coals Cold Souls is their self-produced…
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Esco Williams’ “Oh Jordan” is a first for Love is Pop, a veritable GOSPEL song. “When the walls of Jericho all fall down and we face the light of day,” that’s what he’s singing about on this gorgeous, downtempo, piano-led gem “about conflict and reconciliation .” “Raise it on up / Raise it all up…
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Since 1995 when he debuted with the much-praised album Maxinquaye, Tricky has released 11 full-length albums, if you count this, his latest, which he’s given his birth name, Adrian Thaws. Suffice to say that he’s been much more prolific than many of his peers. When you release that many albums, there are going to be some…
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Wednesday night I headed into Cambridge, Massachusetts, Boston’s sister city, to catch Sylvan Esso at The Sinclair. It’s a small club and the duo could’ve probably filled a larger one, being that they’ve exploded – especially on college radio – since they booked The Sinclair, but perhaps it’s better to have people crammed in like…
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okio Hotel have just released the above video for their new single, “Run, Run, Run,” and it is an astoundingly good — and beautiful — song that just might make you cry with its haunting, melancholic vibes. Seriously, this one cuts right through you like a master chef’s blade, going straight for the heart, through…
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interview by Michael McCarthy You know how they say there’s a first time for everything? Well, here’s a first for Love is Pop – an interview with a black metal band. Wiki’s definition of black metal: “Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted…
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On their last single, “Stops My Mouth,” Bat and Ball delivered electronic beats with sparse guitars and cool basslines. It was a somewhat melancholic tune with a haunting vocal courtesy of Abi Sinclair, who comprises the duo with her brother Chris. Now they’re back with their new single “Lizard Cuts,” a deeply melancholic song about “loss, desire…
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Sunday September 7, 2014 – Boston, Massachusetts: It’s no secret that I have fibromyalgia and one of the most important things when you have it is getting enough sleep. To that end, I slept in a bit on Sunday, missing the 11 o’clock train from Lowell to Boston, which meant I needed to wait for…
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Saturday September 6, 2014 – Boston, Massachusetts: Before I get into my reviews of the individual artists who performed on Saturday, I have to say something else about the people who attended the event. Not only were they peaceful, they were also friendly and trustworthy. I’d like to think that I made a few new…
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One of the most interesting things about Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Jillian Banks’ debut album, Goddess, is how decidedly *not* top 40 it is. Listening to her songs, you can’t help but think “if only.” If only the beats were more boisterous. If only the bass pulsated in a punchier way. If only the tempo were…
