Three Pop Albums I have Enjoyed in 2013

Have you ever watched one of those major network New Year's Eve shows where millions of people gather in the streets of New York to listen to some old fart talk about the news and scream at pop singers who grow more and more ridiculous with each passing year?  I know, that was a long sentence, but try to follow me here.  I'm the only one?  No, I'm not, because I don't watch them.  I have better things to do. 

If you are a regular reader here, you know that we don't cover much pop music.  Mainstream pop is a particular genre where singers try to outdo each other at ridiculousness.  They have to do that, because that's the only way to keep people talking about them so people will buy their records so they can pay off concert bookers, PR people, agents, and dancers.  This is, of course, in my own biased view.  I'm not a big fan of pop music.  But sometimes an artist releases an album that really grabs me.  Three such albums were released this year.

1. Black City Lights-Another Life
These New Zealanders impressed with their debut EP a couple of years ago.  In 2013 they released their debut full-length album.  Surprisingly, this album contains all new tracks, carrying nothing over from the EP.  This is as good as dream-pop gets.  The vocals are must impressive, as are the underlying atmospheric synths.  Simply put, they don't make pop albums like this anymore.   Here's why.

2. Sarah Brightman-Dreamchaser
Our regular readers had to know this was coming.  Easily the most anticipated 2013 pop release in my view, this album didn't quite live up to its predecessors.  Sarah Brightman continues to pit operatic singing with undertones of symphonic music against pop hooks.  The first disappointment was that none of the tracks are original pieces.  All of them are cover songs and some are better than others.  The other disappointment to me was that this material crosses too far into mainstream pop territory than I care to venture.  Still, there are some exceptional vocal melodies, as Brightman is the world's best operatic vocalist.  That is a bold statement, but it is in they ear of the listener, after all.  That's why I'm sharing it here.


3. Io Echo-Ministry of Love
Southern California's Io Echo impressed with their debut album, Ministry of Love.  This was a surprising listen, as it borders between dream pop and shoegaze tones.  I categorize it on the pop side due to the strong poppy hooks that permeate much of the music.  The singer may not be the best pop singer in the world, but the vocals are far from bad.  This music is just weird enough for me to enjoy.  Check out a track from the album below.


Because I don't believe there were enough good pop releases in 2013 to warrant a top of the year list, there will also be no honorable mentions. 

As always, thanks for listening and enjoy! 

Black City Lights-Another Life review

New artists can be interesting sometimes.  Some people have a hard time taking new artists seriously, even if their debut record is released by a big-name label.  Black City Lights, a pop artist from Wellington, New Zealand is no different.  Their previous EP, "Parallels" was an interesting release through which the group showed a lot of promise.  That EP was good but not great.  Since "Parallels" Black City Lights have released several singles.

The year 2013 has finally given us a debut full-length album from the band.  Where "Parallels" was good, "Another Life" is fantastic.  The artist has deepened their sound and have much improved in the vocal department. 

Black City Lights is most described as a dream-pop outfit, though the band seems to shy away from that label.  The problem with such a genre-specific label is that adhering to it only served to inhibit the musical artistry.  I think a more apt description of the music would be ambient synth pop with a very chill wave vibe running through it's veins (holy vernacular, that's a lot of 'v's, Batman!" 

If I were to compare artists, :Papercutz, whose latest album we raved about, would be at the top of the list.  Though the vocals are still not quite as strong as those from the aforementioned band, the cold, dreamy synths behind the vocals more than make up for it.  Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying the vocals are bad.  They are quite good as a matter of fact, just not quite as prolific as :Papercutz. 

The music in this release is deep and moving, packed with grandiose synths that paint the musical landscape with beautiful, ambient brushstrokes.  Standard electronic pop beats akin to chill wave music float to the surface in stunning fashion.  Another term I would use to describe the music would be dark cold wave.  This record emits a chilling darkness that is both beautiful and eerie.

Most of the tracks on this album are brand new.  One is a previously released single and at least one other track comes off of "Parallels".  If you are into pop music that doesn't meet the rigid qualifications for heavy air-play, you will most likely enjoy this disc.  This music remains interesting and beautiful throughout the short 45-or-so-minute run time. 

It is surprising just how good this album is.  I can fully recommend listening to this.  As it turns out, the band is offering a free stream of the album through their bandcamp page.  We have embedded that player here.  Thanks and, as always, enjoy!

:Papercutz-The Blur Between Us (2012)

A while back we talked about a series of free download compilation albums from Future Sequence.  These discs are loaded with great finds.  Among the golden, I discovered a Portuguese artist called :Papercutz.  I didn't discover this album until late, or it might have made our year-end list.

"The Blur Between Us" has a diverse array of sounds on display throughout the record.  Perhaps the defining characteristics are the brooding ambient undercurrents interspersed with electronic beats and flourishes of modern classical harmonics and percussion.  These elements show an impressive depth that you simply can't get from any similar artist (if there is such a thing).

With a Cranberries-meets-Enya vocal style, the singing is what really sets this album apart as a can't-miss.  The vocals are varied, but repetitive enough to maintain a distinct pop vibe.   Not quite to the realm of electrogaze, the vocal stylings dwell mostly between dream pop and new world music. This is perhaps the area in which :Papercutz shines the most.

By that last line, I of course meant the figurative sense, because most of the music in this album is indeed cinematic and dark.  The undertones of drone ambiance mixed with modern classical instrumentation lends the music an eerie feel.  If this is not your thing, please be advised that this quality is not overt, nor is it an attempt to make the music a statement of what it is not.  This is simply creative, emotional genius.  "The Blur Between Us" is much more accessible than I have so far made it out to be.  Do not underestimate the dream pop effects present in this album. 

I normally don't enjoy much pop music; I'm not a musical purist.  Therefore I enjoy a broad spectrum of styles that defy classification.  Thus, :Papercutz has turned out to be right up my alley. 

Get this album.  It is perhaps the best album you didn't hear in 2012.  Another thing to note is that if you order through the artist's bandcamp page, you get a bonus track which is a rather incredible cover of The Cure's Disintegration. Speaking of the :Papercutz bandcamp page, below you will find the full album stream.  Just push play and let the music become you...or something like that.  Thanks for reading and enjoy!

New Music from Apricot Rail and Gliss

It's Friday, ladies and gentlemen.  You know what that means: only one more day this week of work for Yours Truly.  It also means we have some brand-spanking new music to share with you, which has accumulated over the course of the week.

We'll start this session off with the wonderfully talented pop/post rock outfit Apricot Rail from Perth, Australia.  This band has a new album coming on February 25.  This will be one of our anticipated releases.  I've been loving what I've been hearing from the album's first single, Basket Press and can't wait to hear more.  Apricot Rail blend pop stylings with stretched post-rock atmospherics and ambiance to create a unique style that is easy to get into.  What I love so far is that they are not afraid to use true melody as a way to make the music move and breathe.  While there is ample ambient and atmosphere to pique the senses, the melodies carry the music to greater heights.  Check out the single below and stay tuned for a full review of the album shortly after the official release date.


Of course post rock isn't the only kind of music we like around here.  I sparingly listen to pop, but what I do enjoy is particularly good.  Take Gliss for example.  This dream pop trio from Copenhagen and Los Angeles produces tastefully melodic, yet artfully atmospheric dream pop with shimmering vocals that put most pop vocalists to shame.  The real shame is that this band is not better-known, because from what I have heard so far, they are excellent.  Gliss has just released a new album called "Langsom Dans", for which a couple of singles have surfaced.  Check out The Weight of Love below.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!  Happy weekend!

New tracks from Life Model, Spc-Eco, and Soilwork

If you didn't get enough new music from us the other day, you're in luck because we have three new awesome songs for you to feast on today.

Life Model-Take it Slowly.
This is the kind of shoegazing music that takes on an artistic approach to stripped-down rock tunes and stretching the notes through looping effects on the guitars.  Life Model adds understated, chilly vocals to the mix, which takes on an unrefined, yet abstract appeal.  This is an interesting take on shoegaze, being light on the electronic atmospherics and heavy on the pedal effects, just like old-school shoegaze rock.


Spc-Eco-Push.
You know I have been a fan of Spc-Eco (pronounced 'space echo') since i stumbled upon their album "3-D"  This English band has been particularly active of late, having released a full-length album and two EPs just within the last year.  The latest EP, now available through Spc-Eco's bandcamp page, is entitled "Push" and includes five tracks, two of which are remixes of the original Push. Some bands just have that 'it' factor in that no matter how much their style changes, they continue to push out fantastic music.  As it turns out, Push is a departure from the usual Spc-Eco electrogaze music, trending more to the mainstream-ish dream pop end of the spectrum.  To be honest, I didn't know what to think when i first read that it was more pop-oriented than their previous music.  Yet, I listened to it anyway, because I am a fan of Spc-Eco, and fans of bands listen to the band's music no matter what, right? 


Soilwork-This Momentary Bliss
Soilwork is gearing up to release their brand new album, "The Living Infinite" in March.  They have just shared another new track from the double album.  This track is metal excellence.  While the first new song they gave us sounded like "Figure Number 5" era Soilwork, This Momentary Bliss is more akin to the tunes heard on "Stabbing the Drama".  This song is an instantly-catchy gem that has a sing-along style chorus.  Bjorn "Speed" Strid's vocals are top-notch on this one, containing some screamed sections, but mostly outstanding cleans.  Also apparent in this track is a low-register, doomy keyboard line and some awesome guitar solo dexterity.  If you are into metal music, they you can't go wrong with Soilwork.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

New Music!

It is Monday.  The day you love to hate.  Sometimes you just need some good tunes to help you through the worst day of the week.  If that day is today, you are in luck, because we occasionally find new music we find to be worth sharing.  Today we have three new tracks.

Au.Ra.  Yes, that is the cover art pictured above.  You can't really get an accurate glimpse of what it is supposed to be, but then again, good cover art often contains that quality.  Au.Ra is actually simpler to describe than the cover art.  What you have is standard issue dream pop with hooky guitar noise swirling just above the surface, which adds a certain grandeur of melody above and beyond what the pop portions of the song's structure contain.  This was a track that had me listening to the end.  I wasn't a huge fan of Au.Ra's first single in that it was much more simplistic than this track.  We are still waiting for this band's debut album to drop, and it should be interesting what the rest of the album sounds like.  Here is the latest track for you to get lost in:


Venera 4.  Shoegaze music can sound standard or better than average.  Venera 4 is above average.  Lots of noise greets you from the get-go with pedal-effect guitar work creating warm passages of reverberating melody.  So far, this group has released two full-length albums.  This is a brand new single and it shows some promise.  I could be tempted to buy this if I could find it.  Luckily, they do have it available for download on their bandcamp page.  If you have as many issues with PayPal as I do, you may not be able to download it, but then again, there are probably other avenues to explore if you really, really want it.  I kind of like it and will be searching for Amazon or iTunes downloads of this new track.  You can listen to it below.


Dark Tranquillity. I saw this today and just about fell out of my chair with glee.  You see, I am a huge DT fan.  This is my favorite metal band, so of course I will be foaming at the mouth to take a look at this one.  This new DT track is from their latest EP, "Zero Distance".  This EP is essentially a b-sides release full of a few songs that did not make the final cut of the album "We are the Void."  Today I saw a brand new video of the song Zero Distance which I feel illustrates perfectly why I like this band so much.  Dark Tranquillity play metal music with harsh vocals, punchy guitar riffs, and smooth piano and keyboard sections that add a certain amount of atmosphere to the music.  Mikael Stanne has the most understandable harsh vocals in the business, as well as some great baritone-style clean vocals.  I simply cannot get enough of Dark Tranquillity, so imagine the grin on my face when I found they will be releasing a new album called "Construct" on May 27, 2013..  All I have to say is, "Heck. Yes."  Check out the entertaining new video of Zero Distance below. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

New tunes from Jessica Bailiff and Mutiny Within

Today's new music post is going to cover two completely different artists, both of which just happen to have new material either already released or in the pipeline. 

When one thinks of solo shoegaze artists, he or she needs only to reference Jessica Bailiff.  Bailiff released her new album "At the Down-Turned Jagged Rim of the Sky" a few months ago.  This release not only caught her fans by surprise, but her record label as well.  Bailiff has a low, melancholic voice on this song, which helps to define the music as hers, as opposed to Tamaryn.  This song is similar in style to Tamaryn in that it incorporates looping reverb passages throughout its lower tempo.  It is pretty repetitive, but this does not have a chance to get old, as the song is less than four minutes long.  This is an interesting track to say the least, and the cover art is outstanding!  Check out Take Me to the Sun (So Warm, So Ready) below.


Mutiny Within is, at first glance, nothing more than another American metalcore outfit, but this label is ingenuous at best.  Atypical of most metalcore in that it uses mostly clean vocals with a few accentual screams, this is a good track that shows decent growth from the band's previous releases.  Mutiny Within has a new record called "Synchronicity" coming soon, and this track debuted just the other day at The NewReview.  While the NewReview page has apparently been taken down, the soundcloud link still exists.  Unfortunately this track does not have an embed option.  To listen to the new track, Embers, go here.  Sorry for the brief nature of this post.  We will return with more substance tomorrow.  Until then, thanks for reading, and as always, enjoy!

Cloud Atlas teaser and a new EP from Beliefs

Today we have two juicy items for those of you salivating for some fresh tunes. 

First things, first...I'm not a huge fan of album teasers or 'previews' as they are sometimes called, because with some music you just can't get a fair taste of what you are going to get should you choose to purchase the album.  So far, the preview is the only legitimate piece I have found from the movie Cloud Atlas. 

If you have not seen Cloud Atlas, I sadly cannot recommend it because I have not seen it.  I have not even watched the full trailer, so I have no idea what takes place in the movie.  However, being an avid fan of film score music, I have been eagerly anticipating the soundtrack to Cloud Atlas.  The film features Tom Hanks and Halle Berry to name two.  Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek, and Reinhold Heil are credited with creating the music in the film. 

What I have heard so far is the same thing I'm embedding here.  The music is mostly quiet, minimalistic orchestral compositions interspersed with some creative, spatial electronic moments.  I'm all for trying new technology in film scoring, so this was not worrisome at all.  I indeed like what I have heard, but some of it lacks in the 'epic' factor that I enjoy so much.  Of course, this is coming from hearing just the first minute or so of each track.  The good news is that film compositions often start off quiet and build toward a grand climax.  That is what makes motion picture music so...moving.  Take a listen to the soundtrack preview below.


Second, there is a new 'Untitled' EP from Beliefs.  Beliefs is a shoegaze/dream pop outfit from Toronto.  The new EP is steady mix of outstanding reverb-laden shoegaze rock and dream pop.  The band blends spacey atmospherics and ambiance with psyched out rock rhythms and excellent vocal work.  These vocals depart from the standard shoegazing fare by showing more prominently in the mix and being of a deeper, somewhat baritone variety.  I like what I have heard, but am a bit disappointed that the EP contains only two tracks.  You can stream both tracks below. Thank you for reading and enjoy!

Tamaryn-Tender New Signs review

I've been sharing a lot of full album reviews here lately, mostly because the web has been eerily quiet with decent sounding new music.  It's not that a lot of new stuff isn't being released, just that I haven't found much that is worthy of sharing here.  It has been pretty boring at most of the blogs I frequently visit.  Of course, due to the obvious time constraints, there are only a handful of blogs I frequently visit, mostly focused on the styles of music I most enjoy.

I first discovered Tamaryn earlier this year when I blogged about a new song the San Francisco act had just released called I'm Gone.  Last week marked the official release of the brand new album "Tender New Signs."

Vocalist Tamaryn is a New Zealand-born singer with a dreamy, mostly low-end voice, at least as far as female singers go.  Her pitch and timbre fit the music well and are precisely what you would expect.  This predictability is not so much a mark against the band as it is a sign that the vocals won't go horribly awry in any of the songs on the disc.  Tamaryn's vocals are similar in style to those produced by Spc-Eco, but more spaced out.

Shoegaze music generally has a flair of same-sounding song structures that can get annoying if not varied enough.  While Tamaryn does vary the music in both tempo and beat, it is not enough to offset the otherwise flawless production on this disc.  This proves to be my only beef with the album, though thankfully the running time is relatively short.

This band consider themselves 'skygaze' owing to the heavily distorted guitar and keyboard lines that lend themselves to an atmosphere similar to what some ambient musicians employ.  There is a lot of looping on this disc in both vocals and instruments, so this style of music definitely is not for everyone.  Some songs do lend somewhat an aura of dream pop, but these tendencies are brief and well-spaced.

Overall, this is a decent record worthy of a few listens.  It is not something I would listen to on repeat, but for random spins once in a while, it is not a bad album at all.  Check out the official video for Heavenly Bodies below, and pardon the preceding advertisement.  Thanks for listening and enjoy!

New Music!

Hello, everyone!  Today I have some new music to share with you!  A few tracks have caught my eye (ears) recently and they are worth sharing with you.  Three new tracks from thre different artists and all of them seem to be standouts in their respective genres.

Io Echo: This new track is a sensational dream pop tune that offeres layered and echoing vocals with synthetic, looping reverb noise.  Check out the new track, Carnation, here:


Mvnich: Space Rock may sound like a cheezy genre, but I find it to be intense and satisfying.  It is similar in some ways to Art Rock and Shoegaze, but, well--spacier.  What it boils down to is vast, echoing atmospherics backing up alternative rock beats.  Mvnich are a Spanish band.  It is wierd but in a good way.  Below are tracks from their latest album.


Victories at Sea:  For this song, I'm including a video.  This is an interesting shoegazing rock tune.  Check it out, as it is worth listening to.  That's all I can say right now without listening to it multiple times and allowing it to sink in. This song is entitled Poles Apart.