Pop Music Is Not A Guilty Pleasure

'I pop pop pop blow blow bubblegum' 

[pop3blow2]

on Katy Carmichael/ ‘Seams’

My Favorite Single of 2016 is Katy Carmichael’s 'Seams'. This song not only a perfect 'sad girl pop ballad', but stirred the same feelings in me as the first time heard Counting Crows in 1993. With its brutally honest lyrics & much of the song’s melody coming from her voice rather than direct instrumentation, it reminded me of early Adam Duritz. 

It also has my favorite lyric of 2016:

'I'll always love you/Even if you don't want me to.'

Her EP is out now

& she’s legit. 

#Bestof 2016

[pop3blow2]

Track 10: Carly Rae Jepsen/”All I Need Is An Angel”

If 2015 was the year I fell in love with Cary Rae Jepsen, 2016 was the year I had to happily make peace with the fact she may well be on her way to being my 'favorite pop thing'. She's most definitely become my favorite pop singer...and that alone was no small ‘pop mountain’ to scale in span of 18 months.

Now keep in mind, I do realize that 'favorite voice' is different from 'best voice'. That said, we all have certain singers we enjoy who just have a voice that comforts us more than some of the ‘technically superior’ vocalists out there. That’s taking anything away from those singers, it’s just an honest observation.  Ultimately, there's a soul, a cry, a flirty playfulness, or a breathy tone that some singers have which just melts you in a way or gives you goosebumps.  Before the last year, if you'd asked me who my favorite all time pop voices were I would've said, in no real order: 1. Ronnie Spector 2. Cyndi Lauper 3. Susanna Hoffs 4. Mandy Moore 5. Lea Michele

I mean that's a pretty amazing list of ladies with very unique qualities in their voices that line up with the descriptors above for what I think makes a fantastic 'pop radio' voice. Carly Ray Jepsen flat-out breaks my meter because she has all of those descriptors. She's a powerhouse of vocal nuance. She’s also has perhaps the most versatile & perfect pop voice in recent time (or ever.) Which leads us to the first three songs her voice is part of on my 2016 year-end playlist (not bad for someone who didn't even release a proper album this year!), "All I Need Is An Angel".

After my epic love affair with last year's E·MO·TION, CRJ gave me little time to cool off. In December of 2016 I began seeing promos that she was gonna be part of Fox's Grease Live musical TV event in January of this past year. I learned she was playing Frenchy & I, of course, made plans to tune in.

I became even more excited when I learned they had written a one original new song, specifically for Cary Rae Jepsen. I’m basically a Carly addict at this point, so I’m not turning down any offers to hear new music form her. Now, she has Broadway experience, so it's no surprise she was picked to be part of a live musical; but the fact they felt compelled to write a new scene & song into such a classic musical goes to show you the respect the industry rightfully has for her & her talents.

On it's own, "All I Need Is An Angel" is sweetly catchy pop song that wouldn't have been out of place on a 60's girl group record. If you close your eyes though, it's a tour de' force vocal performance that shows off the depth & range of Carly's voice. Her voice is pure magic. There is a heartfelt cry no one else in pop music currently has...(not even close).

Writing a new song for a classic musical could've been a disaster. Even worse it could've been boringly shoehorned into the production. 'All I Need Is An Angel” is neither & stand on it’s own as great addition to musical & wonderful extension of the character. It also became the moment I began to be realize I had a new favorite singer.

[pop3blow2]

Track 9: Lady Gaga/”Million Reasons”

What can you say about about Lady Gaga that hasn't been said. Well, how about I'm glad she seems to have come out the other side of fame with her sanity & creativity intact. I wasn't sure if she would.

Being someone who scales the heights of international supercool like a Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, or Beyonce is not for everyone & the pressure the remain relevant can get really messy in pop music. Most artists rise to popularity based on the catchiness of their songs mixed with some fashion, exciting visuals, & artistic personality. The last three elements can quickly spiral out of control & dominate the narrative of who you are as an artist & your music can start to take a backseat.

I got worried that there for a bit, Gaga wasn't getting too distracted with being the media's caricature of her & not the special pop thing I was convinced she was. I mean, I don't need her to have guest rappers & stuff on her albums to prove her 'edginess'. Now, doing an album with Tony Bennett, that's the the kinda out of left field stuff that makes her unique to me.

While Artpop was a step back in the right direction for me, 2016's Joanne, puts her back on her own independent sonic course. While there are moments of pure pop bliss on the record, the ballads showcase an honest vulnerability only hinted at on some of her other albums.

‘Million Reasons’ showcases this side of her perfectly. Her usual vocal histrionics are scaled back a bit & sound more heartfelt than dramatic, simply  for drama's sake. The lyrics are messy & spiritual, but not religious. I like the flawed aspect of humanity; that even those who don't believe in a higher power occasionally find themselves so beaten they cry out to someone for help.

In the end, ‘Million Reasons’ is a hymn for the broken & one the most honest and beautiful moments thus far in the career of an icon.

[pop3blow2]

Track 8: Marit Larsen/”Running Out Of Road”

In the early 00's I was quite charmed by a pop duo from Norway called M2M. They had mild success in America after being featured on the Pokemon: The First Movie Soundtrack & an episode of Dawson's Creek. They wrote many of their own songs, played their own instruments, & were quite tuneful. They quickly faded to oblivion here in the States, but I couldn't help but be a bit smitten... especially with one half of the duo. Marit Larsen.

In 2006 while randomly listening to M2M, I do what I sometimes do, randomly type those artists into Google to see what they are up to. I was elated to see that Marit Larsen had just released her first solo record and quickly went to buy it. No go. It wasn't available anywhere in America... even digitally. So, I went to grey market & found a copy on eBay. Such began my frustration as a Marit Larsen fan in America.

This frustration peaked in 2014 when she released, what would become my favorite album of the year, When The Morning Comes. As a pop music fan I blown away with the beauty of the album & as a fan of her, I was simply proud. She had finally made her ‘perfect’ album as far as I was concerned (”I Don’t Want To Talk About It” is on my shortlist of favorite songs of all-time) & following her growth as an artist has been a pure joy.  I was also unbelievably frustrated I wasn’t able to share it with anyone, much less on my personal end of year collection, because of stupid geo-blocking. It was freakin' 2014 I was unable to buy (or even share on streaming sites) a record by one of my favorite artists. Marit Larsen is extremely intelligent & herself, saw the writing on the wall.

Fast forward to 2016, where she did something rather brave. Even though she's arguably one the best selling artists in her native Norway, she broke ties with Warner Brothers due to their promotional differences & artistic geo-fencing. She started her own record label with a quote I could've written for her after my last decade of following her career:

"Starting this label has been a long time coming. One of the biggest changes in this new life is that I’ll be able to release music how and when I want to, meaning more frequent releases and being able to release my records worldwide simultaneously. Geo blocking simply does not belong on 2016."

Halle-freaking-lujah.

To make her foray into having her own label complete, she released two EP's this year inspired by one the most independent thinking female artists of all-time, Joni Mitchell. This title wasn’t accidental... it was a statement. Joni Was Right is not only more great music from Ms. Larsen, but a stament of freedom. 'Running Out Of Road' captures all these sentiments into 180 seconds & includes a vocal break worthy of Joni herself.

For all these recent changes in Marit’s career all I can say is: I approve, Joni would approve, and now I hope that over the next few years Marit Larsen will become more known in the States & other parts of the world limited by archaic record label structure . At least now she has a fair shot & as a fan of hers, that’s all I ever wanted.

[pop3blow2]

Track 7: Rachel Platten/”Lone Ranger”

‘Great pop music is wasted on children’ -Pop Justice

Pop music is weird. In many ways it's a 'young man's game' that can be unkind to anyone trying to break into the charts past a certain age. Over the decades both audiences & the actual artists that produce pop have skewed to those in their teens to twenties. I think it's bullshit.

Songwriting, like other crafts, is something you get better as you get older, but at some point our culture deemed anyone over the age 30 unmarketable to 'the youth', so even though most pop music writers are well over 30... the actual face of pop is young.  I loved the 80's, which was really last time age didn't matter in pop. Men & women in their 30's, 40's, & older not only sold lots of records, but even topped the charts. It was a great time for pop, IMO, especially middle-of-the-road 'tuneful pop' that both kids, teens, & parents could enjoy. The tide is shifting back that way some & Rachel Platten in the poster child for that movement.

'Wildfire' is a fantastic collection of pop music & at age 35, her success makes me about as giddy as anyone's in pop the last decade. She is just such a sincere artist & humble individual. Let me not be humble for her: She is amazing & her success is completely deserved.

Picking my best song from Wildfire was easy for me, though much like her 'overnight' success was to the industry, probably somewhat surprising. The song 'Lone Ranger' was one of my most played songs of the year. I'm both frustrated it wasn't a proper singer & elated that it's 'mine'. Had it been a single it would've probably been my favorite of the year.

The lyrics wouldn't have been out of place on Lissie's album (see last blog entry) which is probably why I've played 'Don't Give Up On Me' & 'Lone Ranger' back to back all year. They are sister songs in my sonic world.

There is a manic quality to song that somehow works. Rachel Platten wears her heart on her sleeve as a writer & doesn't get bogged down with too much artsy-fartsy stuff. That said, using the idea of the Long Ranger as a metaphor for a manic personality is deceptfuly clever. In 'Lone Ranger' she is so to the point, some of the lyrics are unsettling. While you think being the Lone Ranger sounds great in theory, some of scattershot details out some of the negatives aren't so glamorous.

Ultimately, Wildfire was in my top albums of the year and the 1-2-3 punch of 'Fight Song', 'Better Place' & 'Lone Ranger' are arguably the best trio of consecutive songs on a pop album in 2016. Since her music gets to the point, so will. Rachel Platten is a flat out force of nature, a gem & an inspiration. Much like the real Lone Ranger, she’s also a symbol for something greater. She’s a symbol that thirty-somethings can still blaze the trail in an industry obsessed with youth.

[pop3blow2]

Track 6: Lissie/”Don’t You Give Up On Me”

Let's just get this out in the open, 'Don't You Give Up On Me' is the best Fleetwood Mac song not written by Fleetwood Mac ever recorded. Lissie's vocals shimmer in a haze of west coast melodrama worthy of Stevie herself. Driving drums, plucky banjo, & a soaring guitar only add the notable sonics of this song. It's a doozy.

Lissie, herself, is a tougher shell to crack. This is the second time she's made my year end playlist since 2010 so obviously there is something about her I dig. Honestly, it's hard to completely put my finger on, but I think it's simply about her voice. I love it. It's honest, raw, aching, & lived in. You just believe her when she sings. What she's singing about almost doesn't even matter. I mean, up until 2016 My Wild West, my favorite work by her was an EP of cover she did Covered Up With Flowers... so obviously her voice had to carry that collection.

On My Wild West everything comes together. Her best songwriting finds a home in a sonic landscape that perfectly captures the sun-drenched American west. It's a beautiful, but it's brimmed with anxiety, hazy disillusion, & sadness. And she sings the crap out of the songs. It’s in my top 10 favorite albums of 2016. By the time we reach “Ojai” at the end of the album, Lissie has gone as far west as she can go & seems done with this part of her journey. There's a restless hopefulness to the sentiment & I am excited to go with her on her next musical journey.

Don't worry Lissie, this music fan is most definitely not giving up on you. 

[pop3blow2]

Track 5: Sara Watkins/”Move Me”

When Nickel Creek went on their first hiatus in 2007 I was somewhat fretted. As a fan of a group I felt were hitting heir prime, I was excited for their future and that future seemed suddenly thwarted. As a musician myself, I also realized the sum of their parts was probably too great for a group to contain them.

My favorite member of the group was always Sara & I felt she was sometimes overshadowed. When her self-titled debut came out in 2009 I was so excited for her & it showed what a strong individual writer, singer, & instrumentalist she was. It was 2012's Sun Midnight Sun that was a tide shift. While I felt she had something special in her, that album was quite simply a modern folk-rock masterpiece that even left me, a fairly die-hard fan, surprised at what a fully realized work of Americana she had created. In fact, it was my personal album of the year for 2012 & elevated Ms. Watkins to that special tier among my favorite artists where I eagerly countdown days until their new releases.

2016's Young In All the Wrong Ways was another stellar record. Why not quite reaching the same heights of sonic euphoria as Sun Midnight Sun, the album most definitely proves her to be one of the most solid songwriters of her generation.  The song "Move Me" stands out as one of the  edgier songs in her repertoire. It begins as a passionate, if rather unassuming folk song before slowly moving into a something of dramatic blues-rock song. Sara's usually sweet Alison Krause-esque tone gives way to some surprisingly raw & soulful vocals that rise above electric noise around her as pleads for change from the norm in the song’s narrative. The proves to be something of self-fulfilling prophecy in the context of her her usual sound & the results are one of the better rock songs of 2016... from a rather unexpected source.

[pop3blow2]

Track 4: Aurora/”Conqueror”

Few artists in the past decade have piqued my immediate interest as much as Aurora Aksnes. She appeared out of nowhere in 2012 at the age of 15 with the song "Puppet", but it was her amazing 2013 song “Awakening”.

Musically she's the lovechild of Natalie Merchant & Bjork and as a fan of of those of those artists, I've waited the past couple of years with bated breath for her debut album. She did not disappoint.

Relased in March, All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend is a great first collection songs that showcase her growth as an artist the past couple years. From stark & ethereal ballads that highlight her haunting vocals to quirky pop romps, the album is a promising start for such a young talent.

'Conqueror' was one the preview singles released for the album & to me, it captures the adventurous sprit of the album and of her music in general. There is a dark innocence that permeates her music. Her voice has a pixie-ish quality, that when coupled some of her lyrical themes make her pleasantly unsettling. It's a unique sound that reminds me of a darker version of some of Ellie Goulding's early work.

I very much look forward to seeing where her career heads the next few years.

[pop3blow2]

Track 3: Emmy The Great/”Part Of Me”

(My best of 2016 Playlist blog continues...)

Sometimes you just expect one of your favorite artists to keep churning out the the kind of music that made you fall in love with them & it’s easy to take them for granted. That said, at this point it'd be easy for me to take Emma-Lee Moss for granted. The past 8 years, she has turned into a continual source of great music for me & her 2016 Second Love wound up as my third favorite album of the year.

The album features her hallmark lyrics with attention to quirky details of daily life in her storytelling. What was most refreshing about Second Love though was her ability to really attempt some new sonic directions for her music. 

While her music has generally been a brand pop-folk built around the guitar as the central instrument, her S EP last year saw her really pushing boundaries into a starker synthesizer soundscapes. As a fan, I dug it, but admit it was jarring. It was supposed to be...so she was successful as artist in that respect. Such a daring move into this sonic space could’ve been catastrophic to less adventurous fans of hers, but her commitment likely sells her move to most.

'Part Of Me' finds a happy medium between her growing songwriting charms & the quirky instrumentation/production direction she has headed into. Her ambitious creative choices & commitment to her craft continues make her one of the handful ar artists I can turn on in just about any mood I'm in...and that's no small thing.

[pop3blow2]

Track 2: Ingrid Michaelson/”Whole Lot Of Heart”

"There's a whole lot of heart in me/It takes a whole lot of heart to see"

So, in 2016 I had to reassess my opinion on Ingrid Michaelson. This isn't a bad thing; in fact it's one my favorite things that artists force me to do every now & then.

See, I've been a fan of her's since she came out, but I was basically a causal fan at best. I liked several of her songs & found her to be a talented songwriter. Her music has always been a tad quirkier than some of her peers & I respected that, but she's never really held my attention for a whole album (though 2014's Light's Out started me rethinking her talents.)

That said, while I was somewhat excited for her new album It Doesn't Have To Make Sense it had the dubious honor of being released on the same day as albums by Carly Ray Jepsen & Britney Spears (two people I unabashedly love.) So, on August 26th after playing their two albums on repeat most of the day, Towards the end of the day, I rather indifferently moved onto Ingrid's album to give it a proper listen. Quite simply, I was floored form beginning to end. Enchanted, hypnotized, crying, & then smiling by the end. The album is a tour de force that touches on all your emotions as a listener. 

It Doesn't Have To Make Sense not only wound up being my second favorite album of the year, it converted me to more than just a casual fan of hers. The album is brimmed with moodier production & a more introspective air that suck you in. You immediately feel this album is different from her others. Some quick research into the last year of her life helps you understand why.

‘Whole Lot Of Heart’, to me, is the quintessential song on the album & the song that really sums her as an artist & my own fandom journey of her in general. There’s always been a little bit something extra below the surface, but it took certain circumstances for that specialness to properly reveal itself & for me as a fan to see it.  The song is somehow both sad & positive at the time... not an easy thing to pull as a songwriter. The sonic choices were really good in helping paint the backdrop to the deceptively iconoclastic lyrics  & it's one her best vocals ever.

Ultimately, this song is the moment I feel I truly ‘got her’ as an artist & felt somewhat connected to her. It me made happy as a fan of music & as a human being... and that makes it special.

[pop3blow2]

Track 1: Basia Bulat/”Let Me In”

My best of 2016 playlist will be 31 songs (one for each day in December). The playlist both highlights my favorite musical moments of the year as well as serving as a personal sonic time capsule.

Track 1 on my 2016 playlist is by Basia Bulat, who serves as the cornerstone artist for not only this playlist, but for my entire musical year in many ways. Her album, Good Advice, came out in February 2016 & quickly became a favorite for me. While it was an early contender for my favorite album of the year, February was quite early the proceedings & I figured one of many albums by several of my favorite artists coming out later in the year would unseat her. They never did.

In fact, as the year progressed, I only loved the album more & never tired of it. While it might not be a 'masterpiece', it’s close. Quite simply, it is an amazing collection of songs & the album features the best production of any I heard this year. Basia Bulat is an impassioned singer who rivals several of her more popular peers in her vocal abilities (I'm looking at you Adele).

'Let Me In' serves as a great track to not only start my 2016 playlist, but as introduction to the world of Ms. Bulat if you are not familiar with her. Quite literally, I am letting into my musical world for 2016 with this track. Spoiler alert: On this playlist, she’ll become only the second artist ever for me to get three tracks on one of my end of year playlists (following a fellow Canadian with the initials CRJ last year), so stay tuned for two more songs by her as well. (As well as some more thoughts on her brilliant Polaris Music Prize nominated album.)

[pop3blow2]

Regarding my end of year playlist.

Most years since I was in high school I’ve made a tape, cd, or list of my favorite songs of the year. Since 2010 I’ve made a Spotify playlist. Starting tomorrow I’ve decided to blog about each song I picked this year... just to try something new. Up until 2010 the playlist was around 20 songs (as such to fit on a cd). Even though digital streaming sites give the potential for an unlimited amount of songs in a playlist, I personally find that cheating. I like confines boundaries & the ‘Sophie’s Choice challenge’ of having to make hard choices about what makes the cut, trying to tell a sonic story, & assembling my own little personal time capsule for the year. As such I try to keep my playlists to under 31 songs (as there 31 days in December, I like the one-month representation for my end of year playlist.)

To further understand how I assemble my playlist, here’s a quick mathematical breakdown of how I decide.  My playlists are: 75% my favorite songs of the year 10% overall sonic flow/story fabric playlist 10% autobiographical personal time capsule of year 5% favorite artist representation. So, that’s that. I’ll start posting my favorites of 2016 one day at a time starting  tomorrow. To get an idea of the kind of music I like here’s my Last.fm profile. Peace.