pop

A collection of 35 posts

indie

270. CHARM by Clairo

This 2024 record by previously covered American singer-songwriter Clairo continues her style of mostly subdued and hushed vocals, but this time over a 70's infused backing band giving the songs a soft rock quality that is a change from her previous albums. You wouldn't be faulted

disco

265. OFF THE WALL by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson's fifth solo record, 1979's Off The Wall, has always been my favorite Jackson album. Off The Wall signaled a turning point for Jackson, essentially leaving behind his Motown roots and fully embracing the late 70's and early 80's disco craze.

disco

238. FLOWING RIVERS by Andy Gibb

Continuing my trip down nostalgia lane I present this 1977 debut record by one of the Brothers Gibb - Andy. You may recognize that last name as belonging to his three other siblings - The Bee Gees. Andy was never part of his older brothers' band but had a

funk

197. THE SWING by INXS

This 1984 record by the Australian band (previously covered here), their fourth, marked a turning point from the post punk and new wave roots from which they stemmed to more of a pop and funk outfit. The Swing served as the launching point for international stardom that would finally arrive

pop

196. DIVA by Annie Lennox

This 1992 record, Lennox's debut as a solo artist, is, by far, her best album. Up to this point, Lennox was considered one-half of the British synth-pop duo Eurythmics. However, with her already established extraordinary vocal abilities, all she had left to prove was whether she could serve

indie

178. HEADFUL OF SUGAR by Sunflower Bean

This 2022 record is the third in six years by New York indie rock band Sunflower Bean (previously covered here [https://www.auditorymusings.net/twentytwo-in-blue-by-sunflower-bean/]). As mentioned in that post, I'm a big fan of singer/bassist Julia Cumming's voice as evidenced by my picks down

punk

175. AMERICAN IDIOT by Green Day

This 2004 "punk rock opera" reminds me a lot of The Who's Quadrophenia (my favorite Who album, to be covered at a later date). Themes of adolescent disillusionment abound, tied closely with the cultural and political events of the time. Those of you old enough to

pop

174. WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO by The Supremes

This 1964 record is more of a collection rather than a true album, in that it collected singles and fillers from the Supremes' previous 2 years worth of output and put it on vinyl. Such was the practice back then, especially for Motown records - and we are the

synth

153. POLYDANS by Roosevelt

Roosevelt is the performance name of German musician Marius Lauber. I happened to stumble upon this 2021 record and have been listening to it for the last few days. Though dance/electronica is not exactly in my wheelhouse, the heavy synth and pop elements caught my ear, mainly due to

lo-fi

135. COOL by Colleen Green

By the time you read this, this 2021 record will have been released in full. At my time of writing this, however, only four tracks are out. But, those four tracks have definitely piqued my interest. Fans of guitar-oriented pop or lo-fi will surely find something to like amongst these

pop

122. SILVER SYNTHETIC (self-titled)

Those of us yearning for the days of Laurel Canyon [https://groovyhistory.com/laurel-canyon-rock-star-1970s] inspired music need look no further than this 2021 record. This is sun-kissed pop, perfect to usher in the Spring. Not exactly the kind of music one would expect out of a band hailing from New

lo-fi

115. SUPER MONSTER by Claud

The first artist signed to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory label, Claud (they/them) epitomizes lo-fi bedroom pop (think Clairo) on this 2021 record. So if you’ve listened to Clairo’s album (previously covered here [https://auditorymusings.ghost.io/immunity-by-clairo/]), you know what you’re in store for. The first

rock

110. I LOVE YOU BUT DAMN by Smokey Brights

Another husband/wife band out of the fertile Seattle music scene brings us this 2020 record. Kind of a mixture of modern rock and pop, the songs rock and groove simultaneously, suitable for arenas and dance floors, respectively. My favorites include ‘72,’ ‘I Love You But Damn’ and especially ‘Since

indie

108. STATIC AND SILENCE by The Sundays

English indie pop band The Sundays only released three studio albums, 1997’s “Static and Silence” being their final output. Husband and wife, David Gavurin (guitars) and Harriet Wheeler (vocals), formed the core of the band. By the time this record was released, the band had mellowed out a bit,

pop

107. FALLING ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL by Holly Humberstone

This 2020 debut EP by British indie pop singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone draws comparisons to other musicians that have been featured on this blog, including Phoebe Bridgers, Haim and Sky Ferreira. Simultaneously melancholy but upbeat, Humberstone has a knack for finding a happy medium between the two emotions. The first three

indie

105. OH WONDER (self-titled)

There are many ways to discover new music these days (this blog, for example). I found out about this band and record recently after “Shazam-ing” the theme song of a British crime series we’re currently enjoying (Unforgotten). Turns out that this album is the debut of London-based indie pop

synth

100. WORKING MEN’S CLUB (self-titled)

This 2020 debut from the UK-based band is heavy on synthpop elements reminiscent of New Order while the pulsating beats would be welcome at any self-respecting rave. That’s not to say, however, that guitars are absent from this record - ‘White Rooms and People’ has the whole Chic/Nile

indie

71. JUDY SUCKS A LEMON FOR BREAKFAST by Cornershop

Cornershop is a band out of the UK known for their fusion of Indian elements (particularly the sitar) with indie rock, pop and electronic music. They started out in the mid-90’s. This, their fifth album, was released in 2009. As mentioned, they have a knack for making a melting

indie

69. TWENTYTWO IN BLUE by Sunflower Bean

This second record from New York trio Sunflower Bean (apparently the two founding members of the band had an affinity for sunflower seeds and coffee/coffee beans, respectively) came out in 2018 to generally favorable reviews. Landing squarely in the indie rock/pop realm, the standout features are singer/bassist

synth

67. INCIDENTAL MUSIC by W.H. Lung

This 2019 debut album by Manchester, UK trio W.H. Lung (named after a Chinese supermarket) is worth a listen, even if it only consisted of the opening, 10 minute tour de force, ‘Simpatico People.’ But, there’s so much more. Synth-pop electronica a la LCD Soundsystem, this record will

folk

64. FLUTTERBY by Butterfly Boucher

Australian multi-instrumentalist Butterfly Boucher released her debut album in 2003 and then toured with Sarah McLachlan in 2004 - that’s how I first heard of her. She comes from a musical family with many of her siblings members or former members of bands. On this record, Boucher plays bass

pop

62. MINT by Alice Merton

This record by Canadian-German-British pop singer Alice Merton came out in 2019. The album is laced with hints of 80’s pop and rock with every song being a potential ear worm. Merton sounds best when she sings in her natural, deep register (she’s been compared to Florence Welch

indie

55. DRESSY BESSY (self-titled)

The history of this band and its various members is too long and complicated to get into here. I mention this, however, because due to the lineup changes and resulting changes in the sound of their music, I’m really more a fan of this record rather than a fan

indie

40. HEARD IT IN A PAST LIFE by Maggie Rogers

Though I hadn’t heard of this 2019 record until 2020, it quickly became one of my favorites of the year. Pharrell Williams had a hand in promoting Rogers, having taught her in an NYU music class (you can find a video online of Rogers playing her song ‘Alaska’ for

singer songwriter

38. BEGIN TO HOPE by Regina Spektor

Think Fiona Apple, but with more melody; Tori Amos, but with more accessibility; Alanis Morissette, but with less acidity. That’s Regina Spektor in a nutshell. Quirky and whimsical but with street smarts and book smarts is how I would describe Spektor and this 2006 record. A talented pianist and