Category: synthpop
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27 year old British singer/songwriter Polly Scattergood’s artistic sensibilities run much deeper than those of your typical pop artist. Musically and lyrically, her songs are above-average, even on the quote unquote art pop scale. Her talent truly is that remarkable. But, she is not for everyone. (Her first album was criticized by The Guardian for…
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Singer/songwriter January Blu was raised under the Southern California sun in a loving home where music was everywhere, particularly on the piano where her father would serenade her mother, but January also cites the “sound of waves crashing” and “wind gusting,” among her childhood exposure to music. Growing up, January was bullied at school and…
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Sometimes I randomly find things on iTunes that pleasantly surprise me. I was certainly thrilled when I found a new single by Priscilla Ahn, one of my favorite artists, a few days ago. And it did not disappoint me. “Leave It Open” finds Priscilla venturing into the realm of electro-pop a bit more so than…
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Tina Arena’s career is an interesting one. She is of Italian descent and hails from Australia, where she was a child star prior to becoming a major singing sensation as an adult, but since 2008 she’s been based out of Paris. Just over a decade ago, Tina released a couple of French singles for the…
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I was pretty surprised when I heard that the electro duo Phantogram was releasing a new EP. I suppose it’s because their last release, 2011’s superb Nightlife, was also an EP, so I’d been hoping that they would be releasing a full-length album in the near future. To that end, I really do not know…
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On November 29, 2013, Britney Spears will drop her eighth studio album, the highly anticipated Britney Jean. “Perfume” is the second single from the album, following September’s divisive single “Work Bitch,” which seemed to be hated more than it was loved (at least among people I know). Well, fans who thought “Work Bitch” was too…
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It’s not uncommon for critics — and fans — to disagree about an album, but I can’t remember the last time one was as divisive as ARTPOP. It seems to be the *love it or hate it* album of the year. Yes, even more so than Arcade Fire’s Reflektor, which has certainly generated an awful…
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Following the release of their much-loved eponymous debut, Cults’ vocalist Madeline Follin and multi-instrumentalist Brian Oblivion broke up, ending a four year relationship. Fortunately, they were grateful for their fans, and all of the accolades they had received from critics, and so they decided to continue making music together. Much like listening to The Civil…
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Recorded in their native Sweden, The Sounds fifth album, Weekend, was produced, engineered and mixed by Alex Newport (At the Drive-In, Mars Volta, Bloc Party, Death Cab For Cutie, City & Colour) and mastered by Howie Weinberg, who has previously mastered such iconic albums as Beastie Boys’ Licence to Ill and Nirvana’s Nevermind. It’s hard…
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Although they do collaborate with other artists on their albums, SPC ECO — pronounced space echo, dig? — are essentially a father-daughter duo consisting of singer/lyricist Rose Berlin and multi-instrumentalist/producer Dean Garcia, the latter of which spent quite a bit of time in the limelight back in the ’90’s as one half of the critically-acclaimed…
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“What a waste of time / Precious little time / I’ll waste some of yours, babe / If you waste some of mine,” Eliza sings over lovely piano as the first song on her sophomore album, In Your Hands, begins. While the piano continues throughout the track, the beat — produced by Paloma Faith hitmaker…
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Today is a big day for Sky Ferreira. After five years of handing in one album after another, only to have them all rejected, Capitol records has finally released her debut album, Night Time, My Time. But calling it a debut feels slightly wrong. Technically, yes, it is her first full-length release. But, according to…
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It’s highly possible that you’ve heard the music of Canadian singer/songwriter Michael Milosh without even realizing it. You see, Milosh is one half of the duo known as Rhye, who released an album called Woman earlier this year. Prior to releasing an album or chasing a record deal, Rhye posted some of their songs online…
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Most people reading this review will probably have no idea who Sam Sparro is. Perhaps you’re one of them. Well, Sam Sparro wrote a little song called “Black & Gold,” which appeared on his debut album, which was released in 2008, and it quickly became one of the biggest pop songs of all-time. Not so…
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Katy Perry has had her critics from day one. Or should I say haters? I suppose they’ve been one in the same in many instances with all of the mud-slinging that’s been thrown in Katy’s direction. But it’s awfully easy to criticize pop stars. And, hey, I’ve done it myself. I’m never hateful about it…
