Category: Reviews
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Betty Who is a 22-year old Australian born, New York-based pop songstress who’s been gradually introducing herself to the world with a fantastic EP here and an awesome EP there. Currently, she’s just finished a successful tour of the UK and she’s just released her UK debut, an EP she’s dubbed Worlds Apart. Since we’ve…
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“You only see the stars when they fall like rain,” goes “(Netzwerk) Falls Like Rain” by Austrian dance act Klangkarussell. It’s a hypnotic number with punchy beats that throb away beautifully while glimmering synth radiates, giving off a penetrating warmth. It’s the sort of irresistible song that you hear once and then you’re compelled to…
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Chairlift vocalist Caroline Polachek isn’t an artist you can pin-down. Just when you think you know her, she goes and does something different, like this, her debut solo album, released under the pseudonym Ramona Lisa, a purposeful parody of Mona Lisa. But she was using pseudonyms to play secret shows and debut new material before…
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I Heart Sharks first broke onto the scene — the blogosphere, especially — with their much-praised 2011 album Summer, which featured such sun-kissed, blissed-out pop rock gems as “Animals,” “Neuzeit” and the super infectious title track, “Summer.” Now they’re primed to garner even more worldwide buzz with the release of their first EP, To Be…
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Following two much beloved records on the indie label Wichita, Stay Gold is Klara and Johanna Söderberg’s first major label release. The album was recorded at Conor Oberst’s ARC Studios out in Omaha with Oberst’s Bright Eyes buddy Mike Mogis in the producer’s chair. He produced the band’s previously album, 2012’s The Lion’s Roar, the…
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Last December Lana Del Rey released a short film — a lengthy music video, really — entitled Tropico. Just prior to its release, she announced that it would be a “farewell.” But as with most of her mind-boggling statements, it was unclear what she was referring to. Would she be dropping the Lana Del Rey…
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We love it when Mika sings in French. His songs are always bursting with joy and love and no language is better suited for expressing these things than French, which our editor has studied for years (and still isn’t halfway fluent in). And he can tell you that this song is about sex. “You and…
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Rebecca & Fiona’s debut album, I Love You, Man, was as perfect as any pop debut could be. Astounding from start to finish, really. Compared to their new sophomore effort, Beauty is Pain, I Love You, Man is a bright and shiny sky with a double rainbow. And I suppose it always was, the ladies’…
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“They wanted to make to make it ugly and bitter,” states the press release that arrived at our office (read: E-mail) with this one. And I’ll come right out and say it: they did exactly what they set out to do. Trap Them’s backstory: Ryan McKenney (former vocalist of Backstabbers Incorporated) and Brian Izzi (guitarist…
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Mo Parker is actually two people: Classically and jazz trained pianist and singer Mo and trippy R&B beat-maker Domzilla. Their union here couldn’t possibly be more intriguing as Mo’s piano and soulful vocals ride Domzilla’s super deep, low end bass perfectly, resulting in something that sounds like a slightly more organic Massive Attack. Perhaps it’s…
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interview by Michael McCarthy Recently, one of the publicists who consistently sends me great music — James at I.M.P. — sent me a press release about Juliette Jules, a young Parisian singer who was celebrating her 16th birthday by giving away her first EP, Black Crow. Being a big fan of French music, I immediately…
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written by Barnaby Thornton When Brett Gleason opens his mouth, honey-tarred bullets fly out. A slow-fire of piercing lyrics wrapped in the syrupy shell of his beautifully rich baritone voice… On his debut album (self-titled), the Brooklyn-based singer continues to pair the blood and thunder of electronic rock, with more intimate piano-centric songwriting. Funded by…
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Now this is a different sort of video from Banks. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. We love her and think she’s borderline flawless. We’re hoping she’ll have a big breakthrough single like Lorde did with “Royals” and get the larger audience that she deserves. But, secretly, sometimes we hope she doesn’t get any…
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Now here’s something you don’t hear on Love is Pop very often: a ska tune! (In our defense, this is probably the first ska tune we’ve ever been sent, so we can’t be blamed for not covering any before.) It’s a bright and vibrant tune called “Radio” and it’s by a hot band called The…
