Category: synthpop
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Phoenix — the cool cats of Versailles — had probably given up on the idea of ever becoming popular in the States by the time they released their fourth album, 2009’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. But, to everyone’s surprise, the album became an enormous success here. Its blend of irresistible pop hooks and sophisticated art rock…
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Empire of the Sun’s 2008 debut Walking On A Dream was an electro-pop masterpiece that ranked very high on most critics’ year end best lists and was almost universally loved. I read several music magazines — not to mention websites — and I don’t recall reading a single negative review. Now the Australian duo of…
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The Knife is a duo comprised of brother and sister Olof Dreijer and Karin Dreijer Andersson, the later of which has released some glorious electro-pop during recent years under the name Fever Ray. Shaking the Habitual is their first proper album of new material since 2006’s Silent Shout. It’s difficult to put my thoughts about…
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When Sneaker Pimps dismissed their intoxicating singer Kelli Ali after just one album — the brilliant trip-hop masterpiece that is Becoming X — I was devastated. There were two bands I was obsessed with at the time, Garbage and Sneaker Pimps. And the idea of Sneaker Pimps sans Kelli was as absurd as the idea…
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Kelli Ali is probably still most famous for being the singer on the late British trip-hop/electro group Sneaker Pimps’ first album, Becoming X, which was released in 1996 at the height of the electronica frenzy. Sneaker Pimps had a big hit with their single “6 Underground” and the single “Spin Spin Sugar” was hugely successful…
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I remember loving Cold Cave’s debut, Cherish The Light Years, but I don’t remember it having anything quite so upbeat. “God Made The World” is like a cross between Depeche Mode, The Smiths and The Cure. It packs a super fast, snappy beat and some gorgeous synth that calls to mind the synth on the…
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“Broken Record” will be the third track on Little Boots’ highly anticipated new album Nocturnes, which will be released on May 7th. It was written by Little Boots and Rick Nowels and is now on sale on iTunes and Amazon. It starts off with warm synthesized strings and soon erupts with a fine modern dance…
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This Manchester duo’s 2010 debut album, Happiness, garnered them almost universal acclaim. I don’t think I ever read a single review of the album that wasn’t at least 90% positive. And so I was shocked when reviews of Exile, their just-released sophomore effort, started surfacing and were almost 90% negative. By the time I finally…
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Sally Shapiro is not a solo artist. We only see the beautiful blonde, fairy-like girl, who does use the pseudonym Sally Shapiro, but technically Sally Shapiro is a duo, the other half consisting of musician/producer Johan Agebjörn. That might sound a little confusing, but I think they like it that way. There’s always an element…
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Just a couple of years ago Sky was supposed to become an overnight sensation with her song “Obsession” appearing on everything from The Vampire Diaries soundtrack to one of those infamous NOW CDs. But the song’s failure to make much of an impression on anyone was likely a source of amusement for Sky, who was…
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Here it is, Tegan & Sara’s much-talked about leap to… pop? Electronica? Club music? It seems like everywhere you’ve turned lately, people have been talking about how Tegan & Sara’s new album is going to be “different,” as if different means terrible. But these are people who like to gossip, or so-called fans who haven’t bothered to…
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A track-by-track review by Michael McCarthy, who wrote this while listening to the album for the fifth time. “Girl Gone Wild” The intro immediately calls to mind “Like A Prayer,” sounding a bit derivative. It just seems pointless to start your new album with a reference (basically) to your former glory. It’s like saying…
