Tag Archives: Pop Rock

Stars – In Our Bedroom After The War

by ·

★★★☆☆ = Good!

Sounds like?

dramatic art pop

Moods

A theatrical guilty pleasure

Thoughts

Musically it varies from synth pop to theatrical show songs, piano ballad on 'Barricade' is a standout example. The dual harmonies of Torquil and Amy are beautiful and delivered with a poetic sincerity. Lyrical scenes are painted vividly with an erudite literary astuteness.

These earlier Stars albums strike a guilty pleasure chord for me. I'm not typically into lyrics like these – grandiose, overly romantic, so straightforward – but something here works well. When I'm in the mood for that type of thing nothing satisfies like Stars does.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Stars-In-Our-Bedroom-After-The-War/release/3986030

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzSUIxYQI2E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-K05oBku10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5qx_ZMY7tU

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Stars – In Our Bedroom After The War

Description: Album Review of Stars – In Our Bedroom After The War


Rating: 3 out of 5

 

The Zombies – Begin Here

by ·

★★★☆☆ = Good!

Sounds like?

basic mod rock and roll with a slight whiff of psychedelia

Moods

Underrated mod rock weirdos

Thoughts

There's a refreshing simplicity to their sound that's aged well: melodic and just the right layer of keys. Capturing the rock and roll sound of a number of bands of that era (see early Beatles, Stones) but with a genuineness that's a little weird, they feel like unaccepted outsiders. Lots of highlights here, and some familiar covers, which true to the albums title does feel like the perfect place to begin with The Zombies.  

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/The-Zombies-Begin-Here/release/1483789

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g49ckFpRheo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2hXBf1DakE

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The Zombies – Begin Here

Description: Album Review of The Zombies – Begin Here


Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Fiona Apple – Tidal

by ·

★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening

Sounds like?

Intense piano driven pop rock

Moods

Passionate

Thoughts

Tracks ranges from good to great. She's bursting with emotion and it's hard not to feel something from these songs. There's an overall richness to her songs and productions that's very seductive and appealing. Might be the emphasis from the piano or use of strings. Her voice too: feminine but deep and satisfying like red wine on a cold night.

Criminal is a great track but it other places I found myself wanting more in lyrical content. Carion is a perfect closer, a track about her leaving a lover and instructing them not to look for her. Just like that the passionate night is over.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Fiona-Apple-Tidal/release/372264

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnXjISlKLuE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiuk0z8dzXo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFOzayDpWoI

Spotify


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Fiona Apple – Tidal

Description: Album Review of Fiona Apple – Tidal


Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Paul & Linda McCartney – Ram

by ·

★★★★☆ = Quality release and suggested listening

Sounds like?

Peak McCartney songwriting

Moods

A car driven by guitar

Thoughts

Fun rock with a moving energy. Paul covers a range of styles from Golden age rock and roll on ‘smile away’ to a Beatles like medley on ‘Uncle Albert’.

This is good chord driven pop at its heart by one of the world's best songwriters. Lyrically things are a little freewheeling and goofy at times but it works.

I found this to be seriously good on my first few listens, might become a personal classic if given enough time.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Paul-Linda-McCartney-Ram/release/4561199

Listen!

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5qymNPUb1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2eWWS0QMlc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Swl9Iqh6DQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrthE_waCV8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8pulOnIE5Q

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Paul & Linda McCartney – Ram

Description: Album Review of Paul & Linda McCartney – Ram


Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest

by ·

★★☆☆☆ = Eh, fine

Sounds like?
Pop balanced with dramatic string arrangements. Production is very French and feels like a mature Justice meets Sebastian night driving.

Moods
Feeling like a French movie star in a cemetery on an overcast day.

Thoughts
There’s something distinctly French about this album. I really want to like this, and do enjoy the texture and overall vision she’s crafting. I think a lot of that is due to Sebastian’s production which has matured quite a bit since the days of Ed Banger. It’s as if someone watered down Air’s ‘cherry blossom girl’ and added pop focused songwriting.

There’s a few great tracks. ‘Sylvia says’ features big production and personal memorable lyrics. Love the instrumentation that closes the album on ‘les oxalis’, wish that could’ve been expanded upon.

Overall felt it a little dense and serious, stylistically great but the songwriting was lacking in memorableness.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Charlotte-Gainsbourg-Rest/release/11204819

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Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest

Description: Album Review of Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest


Rating: 2 out of 5

 

Shocking Blue – At Home

by ·

★★★☆☆ = Good!

What’s it sound like?
Taken from popmatters: the Shocking Blue seem like they set out to be the Dutch Jefferson Airplane, with acid-rock guitar, a full-throated Grace Slick wannabe in Veres, eclectic instrumentation, and semi-hallucinatory lyrics about free love, voodoo, California, and the like. But unlike the Airplane, the Shocking Blue never succumb to pretentiousness through either diffuse experimentation or ponderous songwriting. Instead the band churns out pseudo-psychedelic bubblegum, with all the precision and eagerness to please.

Thoughts
I like this, it’s like well written 60s psychadelica played efficiently by totally sober people.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Shocking-Blue-At-Home/release/6587647

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Shocking Blue – At Home

Description: Album Review of Shocking Blue – At Home


Rating: 3 out of 5

 

Steely Dan – Aja

by ·

★★★★★ = Classic, essential listening

What’s it sound like?
Intellectual light radio rock

Thoughts
I’ve begun to appreciate Steely Dan more as I grow older. Their brand of breezy light rock with this lingering darkness appeals to me. They capture life’s disappointments in a distinct way, as if they’re always sitting on the border of being cheesy; like an inside joke at times. Is this Satire?

Humor aside, this is really catchy pop rock with articulate and relatable lyrics. A classic rock staple.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Steely-Dan-Aja/release/3366636

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Steely Dan – Aja

Description: Album Review of Steely Dan – Aja


Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill

by ·

★★★★★ = Classic, essential listening

What’s it sound like?
The best of 90s radio alt rock.

Thoughts
A very important record to me, I could not stop listening to this when it came out in the summer of 1995. I know I wasn’t alone cause it was played constantly on the radio. It’s an important part of the development of my musical taste.

However even without that attachment the record has some all-out classics and otherwise great songs. Her lyrics are as the title would suggest, jagged. She’s observant and articulate which is why I think this has such universal love. The lyrics are highly memorable. Her songs often employ a juxtaposed approach: aggressive and then a quiet ‘innocent’ moment. It creates a dynamic aspect to her tracks

Instrumentation- love the textures, where was that bassline in the original master of you oughta know? There’s an interesting drum-loop like thing happening there. It appears again on you learn, giving a slight hip hop like bounce. Overall a perfect balance of alt and grunge textures in the singer-songwriter space. Her vocal range is impressive and perhaps best on display on forgiven. Perfect is over the top in it’s forced emotion around bad parenting.

An enjoyable trip down memory lane that stands the test of time.
More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Alanis-Morissette-Jagged-Little-Pill/release/1358782

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Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill

Description: Album Review of Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill


Rating: 5 out of 5

 

Fiona Apple – The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than The Driver Of The Screw And Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do

by ·

★★★★★ = Classic, essential listening

What’s it sound like?
Singer songwriter with pop sensibility and a strong backing band

Thoughts
An all around masterpiece: compositionally, lyrically, sonically. I like the mastering as the sparse instrumentation is brought forward in the mix, creating a distinct texture as if you could reach out and feel each of the instruments.

Her lyrics are pure poetry, singing relatable vulnerabilities in a confident and experienced way. She’s Fiona as she’s always been: fierce, intense and bursting with feeling.

Not a bad track on here, this is ‘singer songwriter’ at a master level.

More Info

https://www.discogs.com/Fiona-Apple-The-Idler-Wheel-Is-Wiser-Than-The-Driver-Of-The-Screw-And-Whipping-Cords-Will-Serve-You-/release/3673207

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Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That

by ·

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What’s it sound like?
Radio friendly pop-rock.

Thoughts
These songs are so apart of my fabric it’s hard to think about them objectively. This is pop-rock songwriting at it’s finest, refined in a radio friendly way but with a style that’s distinctly there’s. Thomas Mars is a fantastic frontman and I love his lyrics, kinda cryptic at times but he sings with an understanding of life that’s hard not to find part of your own self or experiences in.

I’ve got to thank Cyril for turning me on to these guys, probably my favorite French export after Daft Punk.

More Info
https://www.discogs.com/Phoenix-Its-Never-Been-Like-That/release/681327

Listen!
Spotify

More Info:

https://www.discogs.com/Phoenix-Its-Never-Been-Like-That/release/681327

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#VALUE!