Category: Pop

  • review by Michael McCarthy Today’s #albumoftheday is Madonna’s criminally under-rated 2003 album American Life. Depending on when you ask me, it may be my favorite or second favorite Madonna album. It’s impossible to choose between American Life and Like A Virgin. I’m a big fan of electronic pop music, which is probably why I love

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  • Today’s #albumoftheday is Ayumi Hamasaki’s 2002 masterpiece I am…, which is one of my favorite J-Pop albums of all time. I suppose I might also say that it’s one of my favorite J-Rock albums of all-time, too, since it’s arguably the most rock-flavored album in Ayumi’s extensive discography. Ayumi Hamasaki is one of the most

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  • Television is the third album by the Italian sister duo Paola & Chiara. Their first album was pop rock and the second was more of a proper rock album, though a catchy and colorful one at that. However, Television is nothing like their first two records except for the fact that it’s the same two

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  • I finished watching Netflix’s four episode documentary Robbie Williams today. In case you don’t know (like most Americans), Robbie Williams is one of the most successful pop stars in UK history. At the peak of his career, he was bigger than The Beatles. For me, he’s always been like my Elvis. I’ve really idolized him

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  • 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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  • interview by Michael McCarthy Singer/songwriter Justin Masters is one cool dude! He’s also a great friend. As someone who’s known him since the mid-90s or thereabouts, I am proud to know him and I’m even prouder that he’s releasing his music. Before And Way After is his second album, but rather than a follow-up to

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  • Garbage make their triumphant return with what is arguably their most pop song in years and it’s sweet and delicious. Sing it now: “the violator, destroy the violator!” Honestly, I couldn’t wrap my head around this song the first few times I heard it. It felt like a clumsy little bugger without a proper chorus.…

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  • Here’s Lady Gaga singing “The National Anthem” yesterday. I do believe you’ll agree that she did a fine job. And I’m so glad my country elected Joe Biden president. I’m sure he’ll do things I don’t agree with at some point, as all politicians eventually do, but I definitely think he’s the right person at…

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  • 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 might even prefer this version over the original.

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  • Brilliant. Watch. Listen. Vote.

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  • Annie, Annie, Annie… Welcome back!

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  • 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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  • “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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  • 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 to mind

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  • 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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