Flashback Friday: G'race - Manhattan

"Some girls need liberty"

I'm sticking with Dutch singers for this Flashback Friday, though this song doesn't sound Dutch at all. It's written about an American city and given a classic African melody. It shouldn't work, but my god it does. G'race is actually a band, not the name of the lead singer. In fact, she wasn't even around when they first started. But she's all over this track. It's a mix of Adam Ant-style percussion and more typical new wave. And more than that, it's catchy as hell (even if the bulk of its melody is borrowed from traditional African music). Jungle Beat, the album that this is taken from, is worth listening to as well... if you can find it. Of course, I'm a sucker for afro-inspired pop, so I was preconditioned to love this.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Learn more about them here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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La Puma - Chasing My Lover

"We used to sing together"

Sweden's La Puma have been around for awhile now. In the past, they've released punky indie rock/pop and developed a small following. With this track, though, I feel like they're pushing into the mainstream. Chasing My Lover is an interesting beast. On one hand, it's got a supremely catchy refrain and a great guitar riff. On the other hand, the entire song is really framed around that guitar riff. It doesn't have much in the way of a beat or glossy production. It's pretty raw and skeletal, which makes it an interesting single. I'm definitely a fan, though it's not as good as lead vocalist Helena Gutarra's solo outing, Tongues of Fire. Still, I'm hoping that this means an album is in the works.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Learn more here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Diamond Rings - I'm Just Me

"Hold me underwater, teach me how to breathe"

This song kind of came out of nowhere. Diamond Rings has been on my "to watch" list for awhile now. He's got a ridiculous amount of potential and I love his theatrical style, but prior to this track, only one of his singles really struck a chord with me (Show Me Your Stuff, still his best song). Now he's back with a slightly meatier, clubbier sound. I'm Just Me is complemented with a typically dramatic, glammed-up video. The song itself is still not completely "wowing" me, but his image and style is just too good to forget. I have hopes, and this is a definitely a step in the right direction. I can't wait to hear the next album!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the previous album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Jedward - Luminous

"We've got the stars and moon in us"

If you're still viewing Jedward as that joke act on X-Factor, I urge you to reevaluate their music... starting with the new album. Though their vocals are still pretty average and their attitudes more than a little "novelty-esque," their music has morphed into an excellent brand of teen power pop. I credit the awesome, mostly-Swedish songwriting and production teams behind the new album. The tracks are uniformly entertaining--a sort of mish-mash of current trends delivered with a pop precision that keeps things moving. Luminous is kind of a Firework/We Found Love mash-up and the guys sound surprisingly good on it. Of course, like most of the album, it's all about the shiny production. If you like this track, even a little, you should definitely give the album a try. I can't say it enough: you'll be surprised at how credible it is.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Carly Rae Jepsen & Owl City - Good Time

"We don't even have to try"

Carly Rae Jepsen is taking over music around the world right now. Call Me Maybe shows no signs of abating, and has really secured its place as the song of Summer 2012. Hot on its heels, though, is this new duet with Owl City. I've never been a fan of Owl City's music (I find his voice very whiny and overly affected), but I'm happy for new Carly. Honestly, I'd prefer a little more meat on the bones of this pop song. The hook is a little phoned it. But, the prediction is lush and Carly's parts are really enjoyable. Regardless of how I feel about it, I predict this is going to rule the airwaves... at least in North America. It's the comeback Owl City needs. Who would have ever predicted it would have come in this way?



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy Carly's EP here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Throwback Thursday: Doris D & The Pins - Shine Up

"Stop! This is enough!"

Instead of a Flashback Friday tomorrow, we're doing a Throwback Thursday. I'll be out of the state for work travel, but this is the perfect song to take you through the weekend. Doris D & The Pins had a wonderfully funny band name. Why don't we get these kinds of band names anymore? Campy and ridiculous without a hint of irony. Anyway, this song was big in Europe when it was released in 1980 and really the band's defining moment (though I would recommend their entire first album). The group was basically Doris and her back-up dancers, and they specialized in a mix of sugary pop, disco and new wave. Shine Up borrows liberally from the Lipps Inc classic, Funkytown, but adds a killer melody that's incredibly spare but all the more powerful for it. It's the type of track that will get stuck in your head for days, especially that "stop, this is enough!" bit. It's lethal.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their greatest hits here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Melody Club - Paralyzed

"When she walks into the room, I stop and stare"

Melody Club is back! I don't think there's a more reliable band on the planet when it comes to amazing pop music. Each album has been different to their last, yet wonderful in its own way. I'm sure this new one will be just the same. From the sound of the single, they're going for a more modern, even rocky, sound. Paralyzed is hook-laden and instant (like all their songs -- single or not) and I love it. That goes without saying, though, as the band is part of my Holy Trinity of Swedish Music. In fact, they're the only band still together from that triangle of epicness. For that reason alone, I hope they stay together forever. It's already been ten years, which is certainly a great start. Now bring on that album!! I don't think I can wait any longer.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their music (as if you haven't already) here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Straight Up! - Family

"All of us are united"

This is the song. It's the track that's gonna take Straight Up! to the next level. What it does is pull them away from the "novelty act" label (not that sexuality is a novelty, but you get what I mean) and push them firmly into the mainstream. I honestly can't believe how great this song is. For those who don't know, Straight Up! are a pop/electro duo from Sweden. A lot of this track actually sounds like it could have been recorded by BWO, which is a very good thing. The chorus is the standout--one of those delicious, propulsive melodies that latches onto your memory before it's even finished. Kudos also goes to the dynamic black and white video, which borrows from Rhythm Nation in theme and mood.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Learn more about them here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Flashback Friday: Tower - See You Tonight

"I'm so glad that I'll see you again tonight"

There are some moments--wonderful moments--that an obscure band just sort of falls into your lap and they end up being perfectly suited to your taste. Now, my taste is pretty wide, but there is a certain genre, for lack of a better word, that I hold very dear. Let's call it uptempo, synth-driven theatrical rock/pop with a grandiosity and bombast seldom found in "normal" music (and preferably a sci-fi and or glam influence). As you can imagine, this doesn't come around too often! But when it does... especially an entire album of it... it's quite special. So, with this in mind, I present Tower to you. They're from the Netherlands, which had its own pop boom around the late 70's/early 80's (a subject I'll be exploring more in the coming weeks). Despite this, they don't sound much like their Dutch contemporaries. If I had to describe them, I'd say their sound is a mix between ELO, Meat Loaf and Blondie (or Surferosa, for a more modern-day comparison). In other words: perfection. I really don't want to even say any more about this song. You just need to listen to it. In form and structure, it's pretty much the type of thing I live for. Cheesy, yes, but oh so right. Unfortunately, the band only recorded one album (Titan), and a couple of extra tracks before disbanding. What a shame. But at least they left us with this.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. The album's out of print, but you can hear all the tracks here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Melody Club: Ten Year Anniversary + "Paralyzed"

This needs no introduction. To say that I can't wait is a huge understatement. (though would it have killed them to have included "Take Me Away" in the medley?)

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Mika - Make You Happy

"All I wanna do is make you happy"

I didn't even know that Mika was working on a new album, but it's definitely good news. Singles aside, I wasn't blown away by his last one, though I found his French language Elle Me Dit to be refreshing and fun. It sounds as though the new release is going to be a bit different for him, working with producers like Pharrell and Empire of the Sun (the second is much more exciting to me than the first). I'm not sure if Make You Happy will be featured on that upcoming album, but it's a nice little surprise regardless. Despite the title, it's not particularly uptempo and definitely not as manic/bubblegum as some of his other stuff. This is both praise and criticism, as I personally love upbeat Mika. Still, the subtle, atmospheric electronics of this are an interesting progression for him and the song makes me very curious as to what the album's going to sound like. Plus, it gets better as it goes along, building to a nice musical climax.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy previous albums here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Pop Blitz 6/13/12

Kylie Minogue - Timebomb
This is the freshest and youngest Kylie's sounded for awhile. I love that this isn't trying to be a big "event" single. It's just an excellent pop song firing on all cylinders. A

Nelly Furtado - Big Hoops (Bigger The Better)
It's been a long time since Furtado's peak of popularity. This tries to recreate that sound, but to lesser effect. There are parts that I like, but the verses grate in a way her voice hasn't before. B-

Katy Perry - Wide Awake
Her gazillionth single from this era. The thing is, though, they've all been pretty good. This lush ballad is the perfect way to conclude an epic run of singles. A-

Kelly Clarkson - Dark Side
I know many will disagree, but I've never been a fan of Clarkson's sulkier singles. This is perfectly serviceable, but it just doesn't stick with me the way her best material does. B-

Rita Ora - R.I.P. (ft. Tinie Tempah)
Is this even a song? I really can't see any reason for this existing. There's no effective hook, no sense of discernible melody, and so many synths that it drowns everything out in a soup of messy production. D+

Usher - Scream
Usher's had a long career, hasn't he? I definitely prefer old 90's Usher and not this new "Ursher" as he annoyingly calls himself. I like that he's "discovered" dance music, but this sounds like everything else out there right now. C

Rudimental - Feel The Love (ft. John Newman)
Could've used slightly more of a vocal hook, but what's there is pretty good. I like the production. It's not overwhelming and the brass is a welcome surprise. I'm not sure I understand why it was #1 in the UK, but it's nice enough. B+

Pop Blitz 6/13/12 Your Choice!

Kyle Minogue - TimebombNelly Furtado - Big Hoops (Bigger The Better)Katy Perry - Wide AwakeKelly Clarkson - Dark SideRita Ora - R.I.P. (ft. Tinie Tempah)Usher - ScreamRudimental - Feel The Love (ft. John Newman)

Free polls from Pollhost.com

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Hyper Heart - Eris

"I've just gotta learn how to live without you"

Time for some huge-sounding electropop from Sweden! These days, everything is electro, but Scandinavia still delivers the best of the genre. Hyper Heart is a new, fairly unknown, band... but if they keep recording stuff like this, they won't be unknown for long. Eris is huge. You get the sense from the opening bursts of squeaky synths, but then when the vocals come in, the song develops a rock edge that is totally welcome and lifts it from sounding like all the other trend-chasing singles out there. Since this is Swedish pop, you can expect a huge, instantly catchy chorus, and Eris doesn't disappoint. And, as a nice bonus, you can download the song for free from their soundcloud page. Trust me, you'll want to. I only wish they had other tracks on there as well. I'm really, really curious to hear if they can follow this up with something just as good. I hope so!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Download the song for free here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Alexandra Burke - Heartbreak On Hold

"It's time to let it go"

It's a shame that 2008 X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke's second album seems to be stalling on the charts. Honestly, from a purely music business standpoint, it's not all that surprising. She operates in a genre that's heavily competitive and overcrowded, so I'm not sure why there was such a long wait between albums. People forget. Add to that a guest-judging stint on the last season of X-Factor that didn't particularly endear her to the public and a second single that's gone nowhere, success-wise, and you've got all the ingredients of a flop. However, with all of these things working against it, the album's actually quite good. In fact, though it doesn't pack as many obvious singles as her debut, it's stronger and much more consistent. She was wise to steer her career towards a more dance-oriented sound, demonstrated particularly well by the opening title track. This is dance-pop firing on all cylinders, kind of like a modern day Donna Summer. There are a lot of excellent tracks on the album, but this should be the next single.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Flashback Friday: Uncanny X-Men - Everybody Wants To Work

"Life's too good to work"

It's been raining all week here in the Pacific Northwest. Yesterday was particularly dreary--Junuary, we call it. But today, just before lunch, the sun finally came out again to remind us that it was indeed almost Summertime. It can't come quickly enough, as far as I'm concerned. This newfound discover of blue skies and warmth has me feeling like a good old Australian pop singalong is in order. Uncanny X-Men, in addition to being named after one of my favorite comic series, fit the bill perfectly. They were big in their own country throughout the early 80's, and this is one of their better known (and catchiest) singles. It's pretty simple stuff, but it's got a classic radio melody and straightforward 80's production that makes it both refreshing and comfortable. Plus, the lyrics pretty much describe my line of thought these past few weeks.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their biggest album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Dreams Beats ft. The Face - Love Stuck

"I'm still waiting, give me steam"

Since hitting the internet earlier this week, Love Stuck has been getting a lot of love from pop bloggers--and rightfully so. It doesn't get much better than a meeting between brilliant pop production team Dream Beats and beloved (if little known) underground glam poppers the Face. As a launchpad for the latter group, I can't imagine anything better. The song's got a deliriously fun bubblegum bounce and is paired with an original--and quite funny--video. I'm not sure how it'll do outside of countries with poppier tastes (ie: all of Scandinavia), but it's definitely ignited interest in both Dream Beats and The Face from me. In a perfect world, this would hit the UK in a similar way that Alphabeat's Fascination did a few years ago.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Listen to more from The Face here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Vincent Did It - Somebody (ft. Jay White)

"Don't let the bastards bring you down"

Vincent Did It is a side project of electro-pop maestro Frankmusik. Frank is one of the most prolific artists out there right now, releasing song after song online (many of them for free). As with anyone who churns out tracks so regularly, the quality tends to vary--or maybe it's my own tastes. The fact is, I could probably share one of his creations each week without any repetition, but I'm really only going to post when one of them strikes me strongly. Somebody, released on his new SOPA Opera EP is that kind of track. It's poppy and melodic and perfect for the Summer. Lyrically, it's one of those uplifting "you're wonderful" type songs, but it's delivered in a way that doesn't feel saccharine at all. The chorus is incredibly strong and the verse by guest rapper Jay White is a fun surprise. I'd love an entire album that follows this mold. Luckily, the EP it features on is available to download for free.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Download the EP for free here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Ze! - I Am Glam

"I am what I am"

This is an interesting case of a little-known indie artist with a song that I think could have crossed over big time with the right promotion. Ze! is from Kuala Lumpur (which is a first for this blog, I think) and makes off-kilter electro punk in the vein of Santigold or a slightly poppier M.I.A. Her album's on soundcloud for streaming, and although I can't say I love many of the tracks, this one (the opener and title track) is huge. It's shrieky and shouty in all the right ways, but accessible enough that I could picture it soundtracking an itunes commercial or something. If nothing else, it's certainly a jolt of punky energy. It'll wake you up, and would sound very refreshing on the radio. More than that, though, Ze!'s got the crazy 80's image all sewn up. Here's hoping more listeners catch on.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Listen to the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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Azealia Banks - 212 (ft. Lazy Jay)

"What are you made of?"

This song is not new, and I'm probably the last blogger on Earth to write about it, but every time I hear it, it makes me inexplicably happy. I'm not a big fan of rap/hip-hop, but this kind of off-kilter experimental stuff (think M.I.A.) definitely appeals to me. Azealia Banks did some work on the new Scissor Sisters album, but it's her own single that's really the best example of her style. 212 is rapid-fire and abrasive. You may hate it the first time (or two) that you hear it, but the hooks quickly become inescapable. This is the kind of music Nicki Minaj should be making--not that autotuned Starships crap. Parts of this literally sound like they came from another planet.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy her EP here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

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