I'm in love with Gabrielle Aplin's version of the John Lennon classic "Happy Xmas (War Is Over). It tugs at the heartstrings, ya know? I swear, she has the voice of an angel. So beautiful and perfect. I...
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Category Archives: Pop
Pop is Love
#songoftheday / #amlistening = DEMI LOVATO: “COMMANDER IN CHIEF”
Brilliant. Watch. Listen. Vote. ...
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#songoftheday = ANNIE: “THE STREETS WHERE I BELONG”
Annie, Annie, Annie... Welcome back!...
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#songoftheday / #amlistening = MICHAEL RIDER: “BREAKTHROUGH”
As a thick bass line lulls you in and gently massages your brain while stabbing piano keeps you from getting overly relaxed on Michael Rider's intoxicating new single, "Breakthrough." ...
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#songoftheday = Lolo Zouaï: “Alone With You”
"I'd rather be alone / Than be alone with you," purrs pop songstress Lolo Zouaï on her luscious new single, "Alone With You," which hails from her recently released Beautiful Lies EP, something I've been listening to on a loop lately. ...
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MICHAEL RIDER, AMERICAN FIGHTER: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

interview by Michael McCarthy I’ve known singer/songwriter/painter Michael Rider for several years now. Their piano-centric indie pop blends irresistible pop hooks with thought-provoking lyrics that sometimes feel like poems and occasionally sound like journal entries, which I mean in the best way possible. Insightful is the first word to describe Michael that came...
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#songoftheday = Emeli Sandé: “HOPE” (#songsforourtimes #22)
I've always loved this little ballad by Emeli Sandé and was surprised that it wasn't a single. In fact, so far as I could tell, the audio hasn't even been officially posted on Youtube, hence this fan-made lyric video. ...
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#songoftheday = METALLICA: “ONLY HAPPY WHEN IT RAINS (LIVE)” (#songsforourtimes #20) + A-HA: “LIVING AT THE END OF THE WORLD (#songsforourtimes #21)
Yeah, yeah, I know, this isn't exactly a hopeful song and it isn't about the end of the world either. But I do feel like "Only Happy When It Rains," a Garbage song which Metallica covered at the Bridge School Benefit on...
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#songoftheday = DAVID ARCHULETA: “AIMING FOR HOPE” (#songsforourtimes #19)
The chorus of this gorgeous ballad by David Archuleta says it all: "When you're alone And don't know when the night will end...
#songoftheday = Ilse De Lange: “Carry Hope” (#songsforourtimes #17)
"When I can't see tomorrow / I carry hope," sings Ilse De Lange on her beautiful 2006 ballad "Carry Hope" from her album The Great Escape. If you're listening above, you don't need me to tell you what a beautiful, dreamy and...
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#songoftheday = BRITNEY SPEARS: “TILL THE WORLD ENDS” (#songsforourtimes #16)
What could be more uplifting right now than a high octane Britney Spears dance track about, you guessed it, dancing until the world ends?...
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#songoftheday = KODALINE: “HIGH HOPES” (#songsforourtimes #15)
Kodaline often churns out inspiring songs, but none seem more appropriate right now than "High Hopes," the chorus to which goes...
#songoftheday = ANE BRUN & PETER GABRIEL: “DON’T GIVE UP” (#songsforourtimes #12)
Peter Gabriel's classic "Don't Give Up" originally appeared on his album So with Kate Bush singing the duet with him, Gabriel singing the verses, Bush, the chorus. He re-recorded the track with singer/songwriter Ane Brun for his album New Blood and her...
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#songoftheday = MATT NATHANSON: “I HOPE THAT SOMETHING BETTER COMES ALONG” (#songsforourtimes #11)
"Don't mean to scare ya, my friend, but I betcha / Come Father's Day, the litter bug is gonna getcha / The urge is righteous, but the face is wrong / Well, I hope that somethin' better comes along," sings Matt Nathanson...
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#songoftheday = BEN GIBBARD: “LIFE UNDER QUARANTINE” (#songsforourtimes #7)
Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard will be releasing a new single called "Life Under Quarantine" any day now, but in the meantime, you can watch him perform it from home in the video above. ...
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