Category: World
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If you like twisted, noir electro-pop then you’re going to be drooling all over yourself listening to Laure Shang’s richly-layered new single, which is surely the bleakest-sounding song called “I Love You” ever written. It’s also my favorite song to be released so far from her next album. (They just keep getting better and better,…
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interview by Michael McCarthy A dance and rap duo formed by RiRi and Lulu, FEMM are mannequins who have emotions. They are new icons for TOKYO POP. They can’t talk but can sing, however, so each girl’s agent, “Honey-B” and “W-Trouble”, who look identical to FEMM, always speak for them and have participated in the…
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So, this is what happens when Laure Shang goes punk rock? She comes out with an edgy, guitar-driven track that erupts with four on the floor energy as soon as you hit play. It’s called “The One That Ran Away” and it finds Laure in a bit of a spiteful mood, wondering what the hell…
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“Love wins every time,” sings Kurdish pop star and humanitarian Dashni Morad with a purpose, while heavy beats throb away and the hooks sink their teeth right into you. Suffice to say, “Love Wins” is one downright irresistible dance pop gem — a veritable breath of fresh pop air — but you’re listening to it…
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interview by Michael McCarthy Rob Garza is one half of the duo known as Thievery Corporation, which he created with Eric Hilton during the summer of 1995 in Washington D.C. at the Eighteen Street Lounge. Their sound is big on dub, dancehall, house and other types of music, but they are considered pioneers of both…
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by Michael McCarthy Time sure flies, doesn’t it? These days, mine is taken up by doing interviews for Love is Pop and working on my novel Book of Shadows 2. Yeah, I know, the first book hasn’t even been published yet, but if I can’t find an agent to get me a publishing deal soon…
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The title track from K-Pop girl group Red Velvet’s Russian Roulette is about as catchy as K-Pop gets… which is, as we say in Massachusetts, wicked catchy! It has a lovely melody, lively beats, an infectious chorus and adorable voices — what more could you want from your K-Pop? Nothing!
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S.M. Entertainment dismissed Jessica Jung from Girls’ Generation in 2014 due to scheduling conflicts related to the activities of her fashion brand Blanc & Eclare and the group’s schedule. Considering that she was a fan favorite, firing her could’ve been career suicide for Girls’ Generation, or SNSD as they’re known in Korea, but the group…
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Elisa has been one of my favorite artists for over a decade now. In Italy, she’s a superstar, a veritable household name. In a perfect world she’d be just as popular here in the States, which she really should be when you consider that 95% of her music is in English. To that end, she’s…
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reviews and photos by Michael McCarthy As I previously mentioned, I was unable to make Boston Calling on Saturday. First, I woke up late at 11 when I’d meant to get up at 9 and take the 11 train into Boston from Lowell. Then I went to the train station to take the 1 train,…
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Today’s #songoftheday is a new K-Pop diamond. Dig the ’90’s club-style beats, catchy bridge and absolutely contagious chorus. Perhaps it’s not quite as catchy as OutKast’s “Hey Ya,” but it sure comes close.
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Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany has finally gone solo. She’s still in GG, as well as the GG subunit Taetiseo, but now she has her first mini-album under her belt as well. Of course, this isn’t the first solo song we’ve heard from her, as she’s done ballads for soundtracks like Princes Ja Myung Go and Blood…
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The only Wiki page I could find on Kamin Shirahata was in Finnish and I must admit that I’m not familiar with her previous work, Kuuseki no Circus apparently being her fourth album, following last year’s self-titled album, her third, which was preceded by Kudamono (2014) and Randoserukaba no Yuke (2011). According to Google translate,…
