tif b: "marching orders"

up until a couple of weeks ago it felt as though i was crawling through a flat, empty desert of quality new music. well i'm here to say that it's finally begun to rain. there are a lot of goodies i'm eager to share with you, and here's one of them. get your weekend started right with  brooklyn bombshell tif b. she's fresh on the scene and her tune "marching orders" is a veritable palate of music styles: pop, disco, electro and soul. it's a perfect mixture that produces a song with a hook, drive and spirit. her debut EP, big bang, comes out in september.  


Tif B - Marching Orders - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

reptar: "stuck in my id"

everything about this picture is right.

if the picture above is any indication, the boys in reptar are absolutely off their rockers. that's only part of the reason they're so damned appealing. "stuck in my id," from their upcoming EP, oblangle fizz y'all, is like a wall of bombastic, synthesized fuzz attacking you from all sides. trust me, your id never had it so good.

Reptar - Stuck in My Id - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

the new division: "opium"

the new division's new song, "opium," would have made a spirited addition to our recent mix-tape, black lightning, but it wasn't discovered in time. no trouble. it gets its own post. we first brought you this southern california band back in january with their nearly 13-minute epic "bucharest." their new track may be shorter in length, but it's not short on style and substance. dark, swirly synths and tinkling keyboards punctuate john kunkel's nasally, yet effective and filtered vocals. with 300 songs already written, this prolific band won't be short on any new material anytime soon. and that's a very good thing. their new album shadows, for which "opium" is the lead single, will be out september 27.

The New Division - Opium - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

black lightning: a mix-tape

cover art by daniel schrimshire

black lightning is what happens when the wild party ends. this new mix-tape tries to sum up what eventuates in the wee small hours of the morning. is it a call for slumber or one for new beginnings? it could go either ways and whatever your pleasure black lightning is bound to satisfy. it's moodier, darker  and so coolingly warm.

black lightning: a mix-tape [alt link]
timeless - kate havnevik // night air - jamie woon // midnight call (radio edit) - christian strobe // i don't mind - expo // paris collides -- RÜFÜS // heavy metal lover - lady gaga // fantasies - karl x johan // silent dawn (parralox remix) - daybehavior // heaven - emeli sandé // A-61 - league // 2 hearts -digitalism // ghost in the boombox - memory cassette // amor fati - washed out // you will always lose - glowbug // singin' (radio edit) - cosmonaut grechko // need you now (architecture in helsinki remix) - cut copy

cover photo & artwork

like the two previous mix-tapes, mantrap and the wild party, black lightning was named in honor of a clara bow film. while i prefer to use original poster or lobby card artwork as part of the cover art for the mix-tapes, this rather bizarre photo (from an unknown year and source) seemed perfect for the overall mood and theme of the mix-tape. yes, i'm that crazy. the photo was colorized and reinterpreted by daniel schrimshire, who assisted with the wild party's cover art, and was discovered on the excellent website clara bow archive.

lana del rey: "video games" (mover shaker remix)

fellow music bloggers and critics have consistently been comparing new pop singer lana del rey to nancy sinatra. (you don't say?) naturally i was intrigued. i'm not as willing to compare just anyone with nancy sinatra, as regular readers should already be aware. and based strictly on the two songs del rey has released, it's hard to say. while i don't necessarily hear the nancy comparisons, i do know one thing: she's damn good. sultry, sexy and in the case of her new song "video games," absolutely heartbreaking. the tune is given the captivating, dreamy treatment by mover shaker in this remix.

Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Mover Shaker Remix) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

pnau: "something special"

my internet connection was on the rag this weekend and as such, there were several aborted attempts to download pnau's new album soft universe. luckily with a little patience (and a lot of midol) it pulled through. thank heavens! it's a solid pop album and features several paramount tracks. the best of those, like "something special," featured below, have tremendous hooks, passionate vocals and stalwart production. expect to see a number of these on year-end "best of" lists. 

the cut copy comparisons are abound in soft universe. that's OK, but songs like "everybody" feel more like leaked cut copy demos than pnau originals. still these australian lads have got something special (no pun intended). the final track, "waiting for you," sounds as if michel legrand and burt bacharach collaborated and rearranged the entire back catalog of the association; and pnau nails it.

Pnau - Something Special - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

waiting for the sun

if there's one thing the u.s. is not doing right now it's waiting for the sun. the ball of fire is shining brightly, even in san francisco, and is baking the eastern seaboard. still, nashville's oh stereo have brilliantly captured that fabulous feeling of the gray clouds parting to reveal something warmer and wonderful. this is aural sunshine.

Oh Stereo - Waiting for the Sun - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

love junkie

"this is a song about love, man" donwill tells us at the beginning of "love junkie." "it's also a song about making love." ain't that the truth. wallpaper serves up a funky, sun-drenched remix of this addictive hip-hop jam. perfect for summertime. a song so good it feels like makin' love.

Donwill - Love Junkie (Wallpaper Remix) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

sit, ubu, sit

oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! yes. this is pop music. accessible, memorable, hooky, perfect. with shades of dragonette and a nod to shakira's "she wolf," neon hitch's new single is a stunning example of modern pop done right. get bitten.

Neon Hitch - Bad Dog - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

house

singer/songwriter amanda mair's "house" seems to have stepped right out of a time machine. 1963 to be exact. the haunting, lilting number is vaguely reminiscent of the jaynetts one-hit wonder "sally go 'round the roses," and seems much better suited for early 1960s radio than the early 21st century. not to mention that its lyrical content, vocals and arrangement seem well beyond the years of 16-year-old mair, who hails from sweden. whether it's 1963 or 2063, this is a song for the ages. and just another example of why the swedish are the finest musicians around.

Amanda Mair - House - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

hypnotized

the debut single of up and coming pop siren krista has earned an exceptional remix from mega-DJ/producer johnny vicious. "hypnotized" is an eight-minute epic of pop awesomeness. it's everything a remix should be, and then some, but it doesn't disguise the fact that "hypnotized" is a very well-written, refreshing pop song. nor does it undermine krista's powerful pipes and undeniable talent as a singer/songwriter. just listen to the acoustic version for proof of that. and how about those MC skills?

Krista - Hypnotized (Johnny Vicious Remix) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

Krista - Hypnotized (Acoustic) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

tell me

blondie has a new album out, which isn't very good, but it got me yearning for a stellar female-fronted rock group. then i found one. with driving rock, pop sensibility and a dash of sleaze, the christina chriss band comes blazing out of detroit. actually they've been building a fan base in their hometown for over two years and are shopping for a label at the moment. with songs like "tell me," a take-no-prisoners, don't-fuck-with-me rock/pop anthem, it shouldn't be hard. they could be the next big thing.

The Christina Chriss Band - Tell Me - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

street clothes

Fool's Gold - Street Clothes - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

candy wolf

dibs on the tall guy in the back with the scruff. yum.

in the musical landscape, somewhere between outkast, daft punk and gorillaz, lies smokey robotic. there are a lot of musical influences all rolled into one with smokey, and a little bit of mystery going on with the star wars-by-way-of-max headroom robotic teddy bear mascots. their new album, the shark & the helicopter, is one of the best party albums of the year. that's not entirely surprising given their previous single, the excellent, throbbing "forever my love." you can scoop the shark & the helicopter over at smokey's web site for free, and check out the seductive track "candy wolf" below.

Smokey Robotic - Candy Wolf - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

sex u

it's always nice when you go to see a concert for one band and get turned on to another. such an experience occurred friday when i went to see u.k. band graffiti6 (their song "annie you save me" came in at #1 on our year-end poll in 2010). there were two opening acts. both were great. one, the hundred days, was local to san francisco. this was exciting news because i've been searching, in vain of late, for a new local band of which to become a groupie. they may be it. their new single, "sex u," taken from their forthcoming album, really?, was a standout. to be fair the band's sound is not so distinguishable from other bands with the same style of music, right down to the sound of the lead singer's voice. one thought that kept running through my head was, "is this a moving units song?" still the hundred days are likeable and they have personality. that helps. what's more their exciting live shows make up for any lack of originality in songwriting. and "sex u" is enough to get your dick hard...and keep it that way.

The Hundred Days - Sex U - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

she devil

it's summer in san francisco. you know what that means, right? cold temperatures and absolutely no sunshine! shoot me in the face. it's a good thing i love this damned city so much because i'm totes over the typical SF summertime elements. still, it inspires me to post songs like these. fiora cutler is a berlin-based classically trained vocalist and violinist. the tasmanian native serves up this cooly ethereal, darkly-tinged electronica. the trio of tracks featured here come from fiora's latest EP, blue muse. "bar twenty five" is much more poppy than "rediscovery," but both remain as cool as a mentholated luden's.

Fiora - Rediscovery - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

Fiora - Rediscovery (D.I.M Remix) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

Fiora - Bar Twenty Five (feat. Moguai) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

3, 2, 1 ... pop!

it's been a while since we last posted about eric saade, but the boy has been busy. most of the year has been devoted to the eurovision song contest. saade was chosen to represent his home country sweden with his song "popular." he ended up finishing third overall, the highest placement sweden has had since 1999. "popular" set the stage for saade's second studio album, saade, vol. 1, which was released in europe at the end of june. (a second volume will be released at the end of this year.)

truth be told, "popular" is a weak, uninspired pop song and it's a wonder that it performed so strongly at eurovision. it's doubly surprising because saade's album is chock full of much better, stronger songs, like the first track, "timeless." part of saade's appeal is that his music doesn't pretend to be anything than what it is: straightforward europop. there isn't a helluva lot of substance to be found here, but it sure is fun to spend some time rotting your teeth on this sugary pop confection.

Eric Saade - Timeless - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

Eric Saade - Big Love - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

into the wilderness, out of the dark

Burning Hearts - Into The Wilderness - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

scavenger hunt

as a music blogger, i can absolutely relate to mike and fritz of the history channel's american pickers. they sift through trash to find treasure in every possible way. i rely on my skills as a musical scavenger to find the best music, but i also know when to use backup. other blogs are very helpful, but friends are an even better resource. my friend, rafael, shared this one with me, which he found on an internet radio station. it's everything i love my hard-driving europop to be. but what truly makes this song though is the video: an animated, kaleidoscopic, paint-drenched mind fuck. it's jaw-droppingly good. and, hello? a fox is playing a keytar and a muskrat (or maybe it's an otter) is scratching on the turntables. as if it couldn't get any better, the lead singer looks like a physically abused anime drag queen. and while the lyrics and imagery would suggest it's a female, the overly autotuned vocals -- which are used quite effectively here -- almost make you second guess the sex of the songbird. a work of art.

what i did on my summer vacation

my summer vacation came early and went fast, like many a one-night stand before it. such as it was, there was plenty of time to listen to music while i was driving around the east coast, and my library has exploded of late with new music. here's one discovery: a thumping house-dance-pop number from canada's the angry kids featuring nik kershaw. actually, it's a remix of kershaw's breakthrough 1984 hit, "wouldn't it be good," which hit #4 on the u.k. singles chart and #46 on the billboard hot 100. (the song was featured on the pretty in pink soundtrack as well, as recorded by the danny hutton hitters.)

this revamped mix quickly shot up the list of the most-played songs in my iTunes library. no wonder. it's tailor-made for summertime and the angry kids have turned a mid-tempo, rather understated and unassuming number into something truly special.

The Angry Kids Feat. Nik Kershaw - Wouldn't It Be Good (Radio Edit)