pop

13 stories

ReviewsTaylor Swift’s, “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT,” Isn’t Great.With the sudden release of Taylor’s Swift recent double album “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT”, and it’s second half, “THE ANTHOLOGY”, which released two hours apart on April 19th,…Landon Ungerman · May 14, 2024ReviewsNecessary Emotions by Quinn Ayers | EP ReviewA girl’s voice carefully seeps through the phone-speakers, leaving its last message for a love that is not lost, but must leave.Landon Ungerman · Apr 15, 2024FeaturesA COLLUR-ful PieceAn Empty Canvas In 2023, COLLUR’s journey as an artist resembled that of an explorer venturing into uncharted palettes of styles and melodies.Jack Zimmer · Jan 16, 2024MusicAlbum Review: Ian Mahan – RockfordIan Mahan, based out of Denver, says he blends together pop, blues, folk, “and old-time entertainment,” and his latest album, Rockford, particularly leans toward an acoustic indie/pop blend with gentle, relaxing lyrics.Jay Wallace · Sep 1, 2017MusicAlbum Review: Bryce Merritt: Chroma IILast November, we spoke to Oklahoma native Bryce Merritt, a singer-songwriter and YouTuber, who had released his first album CHROMA I at the time.Jay Wallace · Aug 1, 2017ReviewsAlbum Review: Montoneros – Good BonesGood Bones is the latest release from Denver-based, math rock band Montoneros.Noel Billups · May 1, 2017FeaturesDanielle Ate The Sandwich– The Terrible Dinner GuestFolk singer/songwriter Danielle Anderson has been playing as Danielle Ate The Sandwich since she initially started putting out YouTube videos of her work.Jay Wallace · Dec 5, 2016FeaturesBryce Merritt: Connecting Through ChromaBryce Merritt’s latest release, Chroma: I, effortlessly blends pop with elements of funk and R&B. He pulls his influences from artists ranging from Stevie Wonder to John Mayer, but it was actually country music that first got him into writing songs. “I grew up in Oklahoma and just based on what my parents listened to, growing up, the only thing that I knew existed, musically, was country music. They controlled the [radio] dial in the car,” recalls Merritt. He knew he always wanted to sing, so naturally he got his start writing country songs. “But then I got my car whenever I started driving in high school and I had control over the radio and I started discovering so much more music. The first thing I really got into was Motown,” he says, realizing that was the music that he wanted to make.Noel Billups · Nov 3, 2016MusicTop Tunes Thursday: Coldplay — Adventure Of A LifetimeThe track is joyful in a resurgent kind of way. Driving leads and a surprisingly groovy rhythm for a pop band (let alone a pop band of such drear and atmosphere) cloud your mind like the smoke from a caterpillar’s hookah. It’s relentless and irresistibly toe tapping. Jam packed into their wooing, if not predictable, brand of pop are notes of Earth Wind & Fire, Phoenix, and fretwork from U2’s The Edge as well as modern pop titans, like Pharell, Justin Timberlake, and Daft Punk, especially the latter, considering their recent poppy-funky love affair. I feel the song chip away at winter’s frost, and as frontman Chris Martin heralds chorus after chorus of “I feel alive again!” I can’t help but agree.Clark Lamson · Nov 12, 2015MusicTop Tunes Thursday: Beirut — No No NoWhen I find a new artist (whether it be a new single, a new album, or by recommendation) if I can, I like to start at the beginning of their discography.Clark Lamson · Sep 17, 2015MusicNew Music Monday: Mac Demarco — “The Way You’d Love Her”“The Way You’d Love Her” is the lead single from Another One, the mini-LP scheduled for an August 7th release. The track doesn’t do much to push outside Demarco’s wobbly-kneed stoner yodels, but I’m not sure anyone wanted him to. I know I didn’t. “The Way You’d Love Her” features the same smiley strumming and light keyboard work we have come to expect, though the vocal ventures closer to earlier works from Rock and Rock Night Club. Demarco creates a lazy river with his melodies, which the listeners glide abidingly down. The author has an unusual knack for writing melodies that feel upbeat, while creating a sneaking feeling that the content doesn’t echo the sentiment.Clark Lamson · May 18, 2015MusicNew Music Monday: Mumford & Sons — Wilder MindMumford may have gained their fame riding (some say starting) the wave of popularity for pop-folk music, but Wilder Mind finds the band ditching almost all of their familiarly twangy tunes for a fairly straight laced alternative rock sound. In place of fever pitched banjos come shining, sometimes dry guitars. The resulting sound places them closer to War on Drugs, Ryan Adams, or Ben Howard than any of their pop-folk contemporaries.Clark Lamson · May 11, 2015MusicNew Music Monday: Purity Ring — another eternityThis week, Purity Ring released another eternity, the 2nd studio release for the duo. The lead singles, namely “push pull” did a good job of describing the sugary sweet synth that we’d be getting in this album. The digitized Megan James vocal is the perfect candy-coated counterpoint to the whomping, swirling bass. Each song is a druggy fever dream tumbling through your computer screen. James and band mate Corin Roddick know their sound, and they do it well.Clark Lamson · Mar 9, 2015