i ♥ new york

congratulations, new york! this is something to really be proud of this weekend.

Judy Garland - I Happen to Like New York - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

music is power

there isn't much to be found about david pop online, aside from the fact that he's a ridiculously hot spanish DJ and pop singer whose first single, "music is power," was released a couple of weeks ago. if i could speak spanish, i might be able to glean some more info from his facebook page but, alas, i do not. so i'll just listen to his very good, very catchy pop song and stare at his pretty face... (sigh)

David POP - Music Is Power - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

visible spirit

autoKratz - Becoming The Wraith (feat. Peter Hook) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

they matter

cheez-its are my downfall. i can eat box after box in one sitting without so much as stopping to breathe between chews. in fact, i enjoy cheese of all kinds^*. that's what struck me about peachcake when i listened to their new EP this wasn't our plan. it's sort of cheesy. but this is not meant in a pejorative sense. it's fun, flamboyant, and catchy as hell. the phoenix, az band has come up with an effervescent effort capped off by the first single, "you matter," one of the most addictive tunes of the summer. 

Peachcake - You Matter - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

^*according to wikipedia, cheese is also a heroin-based recreational drug. i do not enjoy this kind of cheese. 

roman

not to be confused with felix da housecat or rosemary decamp, this is housse de racket. they are from paris. on august 22 they will be releasing their album alesia on the kitsuné maisson label. the first single, "roman," is amazeballs. you can listen to it below. it's also available for a free download from the label for a limited time. i suggest you scoop this up immedes. that is all.

paris collides

the newest mixtape is on the horizon. the track list is not 100% completed, nor has a title been confirmed, but it's all in the works! one thing is for certain: it's much more subdued affair than the most recent mixtape, the wild party, which was, well, wild. the next mixtape will be dreamy, fantastical and golden. summer appropriate for sure. "paris collides" by sydney's RüFüS, which will appear on said mixtape, should give you an idea.

RüFüS - Paris Collides - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

i've got a secret

the emails with music submissions come fast and furious on a daily basis. it can be taxing to go through all of them, but it's also intensely enjoyable. "how do i get posted on your site?" a musician emailed the other day. it's the most asked question. the answer isn't a simple one. most importantly the song or songs in question have to be something that would likely get posted. check out the other tunes that are up here. a little digging will prove there is a wide variety of styles posted though many of them have a pop slant. there are one or two other things i look for when i get email submissions. but i can't give away all my secrets! that wouldn't be any fun.

i will share one bit of information: when i download albums they get loaded into my iTunes library in order from the first track to the last. however when i listen to the album on my iPod, it's usually accessed via the "recently added" playlist and is listened to in reverse order. some might not agree with this method. after all, many musicians take great pains to put tracks in a certain order. i get that. but listening to an album back-to-front can give a fresh perspective on an artist's sound, and it can expose one to great songs that could likely be skipped over if the first half of the album is lackluster.

the first song that greeted my eardrums from cocknbullkid's album adulthood was a remix of an album track called "asthma attack." that was enough to hook me. the rest of the album is great, too. back-to-front, front-to-back, and even on shuffle.

the hottest wynter on record

is wynter gordon's "don't stop me" the best pop song of the summer? if it isn't, find me a better one. with her powerful pipes and sophisticated dance-pop sound, wynter gordon is ready to wreak havoc on the masses. her debut EP, with the music i die, comes out june 28. "don't stop me" is as good, and in some cases better, than anything reigning pop queen lady gaga has done. it's smart, sexy and completely addictive and accessible. although gordon's 2010 dance hit "don't talk" will not be included in the set, it doesn't matter. "don't stop me" is enough to get us excited for the rest of the songs. we're keeping an eye on this one.

pop & circumstance: sir ari reigns supreme on new album

it's hard enough for pop stars to carve out their own niche amongst the thousands of other pop stars in the market. now try being an openly gay pop singer starting out at the beginning of a career. despite any odds ari gold has done the impossible: over the last decade he has established himself as a talented singer/songwriter, with four studio albums to his credit and several billboard charting singles, who has earned the respect of his peers -- both gay and straight. he's not only easy on the eyes, but easy on the ears as well. his special blend of pop, r&b and dance music reaches new heights on his latest between the spirit & the flesh. sir ari, the stage name by which he is now officially called, caught up with the Pop Sucker last week.

let's start with the music. tell me a bit about between the spirit & the flesh. how did you come up with the concept for it?

it was basically through a conversation i had [with] a friend about what was going on in both our lives with regards to love, sex and spirituality...he said we were torn between the spirit and the flesh and i realized how true and all-encompassing that statement was. i knew it had to be the title of my next project and so all the songs i wrote for this album came out of that framework.

you sing on one of the tracks that it's a "sonic journey." and you touch on a lot of issues throughout the album: religion, sex, diversity, relationships. it's a record for the masses, but in many ways this feels like an incredibly personal album. was it a cathartic experience to make it?

i would say that not only can anyone relate to what i write and sing about as a gay man but the fact that i am singing from that specific vantage point makes it even more relatable than a simple love song that we’ve heard a million times. sometimes we need a new frame around a painting in order to see the painting in a different light. the specificity of our experience helps us relate universally.

i couldn't help but chuckle a little at the lyrical content of "over the internet." (been there!) meeting people for dating and/or hookups online is so common nowadays, especially for the gays. (hello, grindr?) although i've always found it to be a bit impersonal. was the song about one specific incident or more than one?

it was 100% about one particular experience. the internet can be impersonal for sure but once you get face-to-face with someone, whether you want to admit it or not, you are then having a real human-to-human experience. and that’s what happened with me. i let down my guard and i fell for someone. problem is the person i fell for kept me in the internet box and decided he didn’t have to tell me that he was in a committed relationship! but I know lots of people who have met online and have had good relationships. “over the internet” is not one of those stories though!

you've also got a new moniker, and a slicker look. i read that the "sir" came from the imperial court of NY who bestowed it upon you for your charity work. why did you decide to keep it as your stage name?

behind closed doors you can sometimes hear me complain that gay people do not know how to support their own. but when something happens, like i am given an honor by the community and i see the appreciation for my commitment to LGBT issues, then i want to embrace that and honor that so that i’m not only complaining about when it doesn’t happen but honoring when it does.

change is good and since my last album there’s been lots of it both personally and politically. we have a black president! so it all seemed like the right thing for me and felt real and organic because before that i was very proud of my Jewish name even after folks thought it was too jewish to be a pop star. the fact that it helps with search engines to distinguish me from my HBO doppelganger is an added perk. (editor's note: "ari gold" is the name of the character played by jeremy piven on the HBO show entourage.)

are you planning a tour in support of the new album? I saw a few dates posted on your site. (june must be a ridiculously busy month for you with all the Pride events going on.)

we are working on tour dates and they will continue to be posted on my website. i would love to do a really extensive tour cause my new show is a blast.

you've always been out in your career and a lot has changed since you released your first album. there seems to be more of an acceptance of gay entertainers and our community has made great strides in breaking down the walls of inequality. not to mention the biggest pop star in the world right now, lady gaga, is an outspoken, fervent supporter of gay rights. first, why was it important for you to come out at the beginning of your career? also, would you say that things have gotten better, worse, or stayed the same for out gay artists in the music industry?

i do think things have gotten better and i think visibility is really important. i’d like to think i had something to do with that added acceptance and visibility by being an openly gay recording artist for the last 11 years—which has meant that i’ve taken a lot of the punches for other artists to do what they do. but that’s OK. that’s my cross to bear, but also my gift, and i would not have had it any other way.

i love how committed gaga is toward the cause — it reminds me so much of myself and how i have been although, it does make me wonder why we are so much more receptive toward hearing it from essentially a straight woman then we are from one of our own. i just hope with her presence and with stars like adam lambert there will be more and more artists out there telling us what it means to be gay for them. 'cause there are as many gay stories as there are gay people.

be sure to catch sir ari's performance at ultra suede in west hollywood this saturday, june 18. for tickets and more information, visit www.arigold.com.

Sir Ari - Play That F***kn Record - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

turn it up!

if your monday needs a jolt -- and whose doesn't?! -- look no further than taryn manning's new single "turn it up!" you may recall manning as one half of boomkat, the dance duo from the early '00s who scored a hit with "the wreckoning." she's also an actress and fashion designer. clearly she has nothing to do with her time and needs to get a job. now she's striking out as a solo artist and her first single is perfect dance-pop. it might not be breaking the mold of originality, but after one listen you won't even care.

Taryn Manning - Turn it Up by the Pop Sucker

mapquest

today is national acoustic sunday fun-day day. did you send out your cards? if not, consider this a love letter to all you acoustic pop fans out there. seattle's the young evils are masters of the well-crafted, perfect-harmony pop songs as evidenced on "draw it on a map," from their self-released 2010 debut album enchanted chapel. it's one of those songs that's actually very short in duration (just over two minutes), but feels a lot longer because it's so good.

The Young Evils - Draw It On A Map - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

party!

well my weekend got off to an unexpectedly early start. let's party!

Laura LaRue - San Francisco Is My Disco - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

Man Like Me - London Town - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

once is not enough

well, this one's been sitting in my iTunes library the last six months just waiting to be listened to. but there's a time and place for everything, right? estate is a minneapolis electropop group. and since i'm too exhausted to think of anything else snappy or witty to say, i'll just let the music speak for itself.

Estate - One Time Lover - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

the 25 greatest nancy sinatra songs

nancy sinatra has half-jokingly said that her epitaph will one day read: "frank's daughter; she died with her boots on." the sad truth is, at least in terms of her music career, many of her peers and contemporaries have already reduced her to a pair of boots. this not only underscores the fact that those people don't truly appreciate her artistry, and never did, but that they don't respect her. however, during her heyday -- in the mid- to late-1960s and early 1970s -- she had 21 records chart on the billboard hot 100, including two #1 singles, a score of others on the adult contemporary and country charts and nine albums on the billboard 200 album chart. not a small fete by any standards. she has recorded literally hundreds of songs and if the same peers who continue to shun her would take a closer look at her expansive and illustrious body of work, her epitaph might one day rightly read: "nancy sinatra; she knew exactly what she was doing."

but today is not about death. and certainly not nancy's. it's her birthday, and in honor of my beloved icon's 71st, i'm presenting the 25 greatest nancy sinatra songs of all time. seek out what you don't know. you might just learn something.

25. another gay sunshine day (2006) | get the gays and they'll follow you to the ends of the earth. from the onset, nancy had the makings of first-class gay icon, a title to which she still lives up. this fun ditty appeared in the film another gay movie, a gross-out gay version of american pie, and was co-written by the film's director, todd stephens.

24. you've lost that lovin' feelin' (with lee hazlewood) (1968) | the pair may have scored, and may be more famous for, hazlewood's original compositions, but they certainly had a way with the covers. the opening number of their hit album nancy & lee is proof of that.

23. kinky love (1976) | allegedly banned by certain radio stations at the time of its release for its "suggestive" lyrics, this song gained a cult reputation through spins at studio 54 and a cover in the early '90s by pale saints. it was available only on vinyl until sinatra released it nearly two decades later, in 1998, on her love songs compilation sheet music.

22. long time woman (1969) | the end of the 1960s marked a departure from the sound and look that made nancy a household name. this was caused in no small part to lee hazlewood's abrupt decision to move to sweden and not tell anyone, including sinatra. her first album without hazlewood at the helm was nancy, which included this tender bob lind lullaby, which ranks as one of nancy's finest performances.

Nancy Sinatra - Long Time Woman - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker
 

21. light my fire (1969) | from the same album was this surprisingly seductive and lustful cover of the doors song.

20. somethin' stupid (with frank sinatra) (1967) | just before the summer of love, nancy and her pop frank released this tune which DJs at the time derisively called "the incest song." despite this the song became a massive #1 smash and remains the only father-daughter duet to hit the summit on the billboard hot 100.

19. it's such a pretty world today (1967) | 1966 might have been the year that broke nancy into the mainstream, but it was 1967 that truly shaped her. she began that year by releasing one of her best albums, country, my way, which featured covers of contemporary country-pop standards, including the album's biggest hit, "jackson," and a smattering of lee hazlewood originals. the opening song, "it's such a pretty world today," set the tone beautifully.

18. how are things in california? (1970) | an adult contemporary hit in the early 1970s, "how are things in california?" may not be the best song nancy ever recorded, but it's certainly one of the hookiest and funnest.

17. california dreamin' (1970) | gone are the harmonies that made the original version so famous. in their place is a sensitive, lovely vocal by nancy and a dreamy guitar solo by billy strange.

16. you only live twice (main title) (1966) | one of the best bond themes was recorded in two decidedly different versions. the main title had a more sweeping, grand arrangement that went with the tone of the film, which was set in japan. nancy also rerecorded the song as a single with a brassier arrangement and double vocal track. that version is more famous, but the original main title is better.

15. friday's child (original album version) (1966) | also recorded and released in two different versions was this hazlewood original, which he wrote for his father. the rerecorded version appeared on nancy's emmy-winning TV special and soundtrack, movin' with nancy, and has been favored on greatest hits compilations. however, the original version, which appeared on nancy's third album, nancy in london, is a bluesy, sorrowful masterpiece.

14. machine gun kelly (1972) | although the hits had dried up by the mid-1970s, nancy recorded some of her most important songs during the early part of the decade. among these was "machine gun kelly," which remained unreleased until it was included in the 2006 u.k.-only compilation the essential nancy sinatra.

13. is anybody goin' to san antone (1971) | one of nancy's final singles for reprise records, where she spent a decade recording, was the country-tinged cover "is anybody goin' to san antone." it too remained unavailable, aside from its original vinyl release, until its inclusion in a slightly different arrangement on 2009's cherry smiles: the rare singles.

Nancy Sinatra - Is Anybody Goin' to San Antone - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

12. some velvet morning (with lee hazlewood) (1967) | often cited as one of the most unusual and greatest pop duets in history, hazlewood's dreamy, cowboy psychadelia composition is both bizarre and beautiful. this song is often pointed to when used to described the couple's unique burlap-and-velvet sound.

11. lightning's girl (1967) | another one of hazlewood's more bizarre songs was this nancy solo, which, for vinyl collectors, was one of only three singles issued with a picture sleeve in the united states.

10. summer wine (with lee hazlewood) (1966) | the greatest wild west-inspired pop euphemism for sex.

9. hello l.a., bye bye birmingham (1970) | a muddy, swampy story song out of the bobbie gentry vein, this "i'm-going-to-make-it-big-in-hollywood" is a nice addition to the canon, with a so-hip-it-hurts performance by nancy.

Nancy Sinatra - Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

8. lady bird (with lee hazlewood) (1968) | a moderate hit in the late 1960s, this nancy & lee duet is by far their best. sexy, perhaps allegorical, this tune features a stunning string and horn arrangement that compliments the unique and magical beauty-and-the-beast quality the pair had.

7. love eyes (1967) | this bluesy love ballad, a top 20 hit during the summer of love, features one of nancy's finest vocals.

6. bang, bang (1966) | it was nancy's idea to turn sonny bono's uptempo pop song, a hit for cher in '66, into a somber, fuzzy ballad. her father liked this new arrangement so much he asked her to perform it on his TV special that year and even recorded the song himself. many years later, quentin tarantino was so inspired by nancy's version, he built a movie around it: kill bill.

5. sugar town (1966) | lee hazlewood's thinly veiled drug song -- think "lucy in the sky with diamonds" -- was one of nancy's biggest and best-loved hits at the end of 1966. and the "shu-shu-shu" hook is bound to get stuck in your heads for days on end.

4. let me kiss you (2004) | in the early 2000s, morrissey, a big nancy fan himself, signed her to his label and helped produce a comeback of sorts and contributed a song for her first album in nearly a decade, 2004's nancy sinatra. it's a morrissey song through and through, but it's nancy's all the way from start to finish.

3. these boots are made for walkin' (1966) | in terms of historical importance, this is at the top of the list. what many don't realize is that nancy had been recording and releasing singles for 5 years before she hit it big with "boots." but there's a reason this song finally put her in the spotlight. a perfect pop song, and performance, in every respect.

2. holly holy (1972) | although never officially released, "holly holy," a cover of the neil diamond song, is one of the greatest recordings of nancy's career. with a ravel's "bolero"-style arrangement and an earth-shattering final note, "holly holy" was originally sung on her 1972 television special movin' with nancy on stage, and then recorded in the studio. diehard nancy fans have been salivating for an official release of the song for decades. in the fall of 2009, nancy posted the song on the forum of the sinatra family website to tide fans over until her collection of rare and unreleased material sees the light of day.

1. by the way (i still love you) (1967) | "boots" might be one of the hardest breakup songs around, and nancy's tough girl image is undoubtedly sexy, but it's her vulnerability that makes her attractive. this lee hazlewood-penned number, one of his best, appeared on country, my way in 1967. it's not easy to convincingly put over a song with so much warmth, compassion and candor but nancy does it in spades here. it's enough to make you want to find the lover she's singing to, put on a pair of boots and walk all over him, just for her.

Nancy Sinatra - By The Way (I Still Love You) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

win!

here's a novel idea: let's create an album, give it away to fans for free on bandcamp, and if they insist on donating something, have them give the money to a top-rated charity instead. too good to be true? not so for bellingham, washington's glowbug, who are doing just that. talk about some positive karma! their magnificent dream pop/ambient/electronica album mr. plastic has just been released and you can scoop it for bupkiss. or you can donate a few bucks to charity instead. keep the good karma flow going, peeps.

Glowbug - You Will Always Lose - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

name it

it always smacks of pretense when a band calls a song "untitled." seriously? just name the fucking thing! but i think i finally found an exception to the rule. pompeya, an indie pop band from moscow, has just released their new album tropical. the album title is very apropos because it's the perfect summer soundtrack, capped off by the aforementioned and utterly irresistible "untitled."

Pompeya - Untitled - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

your new favorite band: young rebel set

ever go into a record store (a what?) and find an artist filed in a section completely unrelated to the music they typically produce? the beatles are stuck in world music. the supremes are in classical. and ke$ha isn't in the dumpster out back. the same can be said for online retailers. while shopping you suddenly find youssou n'dour filed as a country/folk artist. this is not a joke. these are real examples that i made up. young rebel set was found under lo-fi folk. i suppose there are some folk elements in their debut album curse our love. but i wouldn't classify them as lo-fi, nor would i say that they're strictly folk. these seven lads from the u.k. can rock and roll well. and there's enough twang for to please even youssou n'dour.

Young Rebel Set - Already Forgotten Your Name - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

ophelia

at the end of her second solo number on the judy garland show, a 21-year-old, pre-funny girl barbra streisand received a thunderous ovation, led by the show's hostess. when the audience quieted, judy turned to barbra and said very charmlingly: "you're so thrilling, so absolutely thrilling. and you're so good that i...i hate you. i hate you, you're so good." i had a similar feeling when i listened to neighbors' new EP august. they're so good that i hate them. alright, i don't really hate them. their music is too special. it's mostly just envy and awe at their creation of beautiful songs. just listen to "ophelia." it's as though simon & garfunkel had an all-night threesome with a synthesizer. and the strings? i'm such a sucker for them that they make me weep. seriously.

Neighbors - Ophelia - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

keep me safe

there's something utterly celestial about patrascano's "safe." adrian patrascanu, the one-man operation behind patrascano, takes a lot of cues from '80s new wave -- the track might make a good mash-up with real life's "send me an angel" -- but also early '90s soul-house. for example, this track would fit nicely on an early album by seal.

Patrascano - SAFE - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

no love

hooray for earth's "no love," from their new album true loves, plays like a saturday morning cartoon version of a revival meeting. that's not necessarily a bad thing. it's filled with bombast and histrionics, and although the chorus chants "this time/no love/is what i need," it's brimming with love and seduction. which makes the next lyric "but i want to/want to learn/i want to/want to learn" all the more uplifting.

Hooray For Earth - No Love - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker