Category: Reviews
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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…
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Love is Pop favorite Poliça is releasing a deluxe edition of the band’s incredible Shulamith album, a record that shimmers with enough kaleidoscopic colors to temporarily blind you. One listen to the beautiful work of alt/art pop and you’ll never forget it. It’s the audio equivalent of seeing a famous painting in person at Le…
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I have to begin this by saying that it took some effort — I’m talking several listenings — before this album started to grow on me. I think it’s because I am so in love with her last album, Flesh Tone, and I wanted her to make another futuristic electro-pop album like that. So, when…
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If you like danceable hip-hop anthems by artists like Pitbull and Example then you’re in for a real treat with this one. “Bus Pass” by A.M. SNiPER featuring Wiley packs all the bass you’ll need to turbo charge you with kinetic energy en route to your next party or rave. We’re talking about massive beats,…
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Kairos is the ancient Greek word for “the defining moment,” so it’s no surprise that Seattle’s Lena Simon has not only taken the word as her performing name but as the name of her new EP, which is, in fact, her defining moment du jour. What is a performing name? It’s what St. Vincent is…
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“In the end, I wasn’t innocent, but we could still pretend,” sings LP, an insanely talented new pop rock-ish singer/songwriter who’s bound to skyrocket to fame this year. The song in question is “Night Like This” and it’s got happiness-inducing boom clap beats and a swirly, feel good melody. Best of all, it has LP’s…
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I remember when The Black Crowes debut album Shake Your Money Maker came out in 1990. I was primarily listening to hair bands at the time, like most people. When Shake Your Money Maker came out it was like a breath of fresh air. The only other bands of the era that came close to…
