Category: Interviews
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HXLT is how Chicago’s eclectic musician Holt is spelling his name these days. The reason why is one of the few things I didn’t think to ask him about, but I imagine it’s to make you wonder how it’s supposed to be said, to get you thinking, to ultimately make you remember it. In any…
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I recently had the pleasure of talking with one of the world’s biggest hit songwriters, a gentlemen named Even Stevens. (Awesome name, right?) When I was growing up, back when I was a kid listening to my parent’s radio station of choice, I heard some of his hits hundreds of times. There was Eddie Rabbit’s…
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by Michael McCarthy all photos by: Bryan Downey except where noted When many people think of indie music, the artists they often think of are artists who are actually on record labels, just small ones outside of the major label scene. Which is entirely cool, of course. Most of my favorite artists are on indie labels…
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by Michael McCarthy I was recently introduced to the music of indie singer/songwriter bitter’s kiss (real name: Chloe Baker) and soon fell madly in love with it. Her always emotive voice immediately grabs you, sounding like a genetic cross between Lorde, Banks and Cœur de Pirate, three of my favorite artists. At times she sounds…
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by Michael McCarthy all photos courtesy of Frontiers Records Today, February 19th, sees the release of the self-titled debut album by the UK’s hottest new hard rock band, Inglorious. But don’t let their name fool you; their sound is indeed very glorious. These guys kick some major ass. Frontman Nathan James is like a young…
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On March 11th the much beloved singer/songwriter Emmy The Great will release her gorgeous third album, Second Love (her debut was called First Love, Virtue her second). It’s her first album in five years and it was well worth the wait, each song like a poetic love letter that goes straight to your heart. A…
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Soul Asylum will release their brand new, 2016 studio album Change of Fortune on March 18th and it’s one of their best in years, right up there with Grave Dancer’s Union (1992) and Let Your Dim Light Shine (1995). It is not an attempt to rehash those albums, though. On the contrary, today’s Soul Asylum…
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by Michael McCarthy One of the joys of doing Love is Pop is encountering new music that I otherwise would likely never hear. Recently, Jeremy Loop’s publicist contacted me with a link to his album. Listening to it, I was constantly thrown off guard, as he employs everything but the kitchen sink, not only in…
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by Michael McCarthy I still recall the first time I heard Cœur de Pirate, otherwise known as Béatrice Martin. I’d just watched a video by French pop diva Mylène Farmer on Youtube and it suggested a Cœur de Pirate song from her debut album next. It was “Comme des enfants” and it put a spell…
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by Michael McCarthy If you like pop music that’s as addictive as chocolate but also has an air of sophistication about it, you’re in for a real treat with the music of 19 year old Kita Alexander, a rising pop star who’s been getting airplay from the likes of such influential stations as Beats 1, Radio 1 and…
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by Michael McCarthy As some of you may recall, I published a heavy metal zine back in the ’90s before I started writing for actual magazines like LiveWire and Lollipop (rest in peace x2). It was called ANT, The Only Cool Magazine That Bites. (Weird title, but, hey, people remembered it.) I’m bringing this up…
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Review and interview by Michael McCarthy Last week fans of Britney Spears were treated to a special release, BARE, an unofficial album containing over a dozen unreleased songs produced by a fan who calls himself Gryves, otherwise known as Dani Alcázar. More than a compilation of demos, the songs on BARE have been done over…
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Today’s #songoftheday is Dua Lipa’s ” scorching hot Be The One.” You may remember that I wrote about Dua recently when we covered the Shy Luv remix of “Be The One” recently. Well, I’ve been listening to the original version of “Be The One” for days now and thought it finally deserved the spotlight. Its 2-Step/UK…
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Doe Paoro is one of the most unique artists I’ve ever come across. When you listen to her spellbinding new album, After, you feel as though you’re listening to music from another world. Or from the future. Probably both. Although familiar instruments make up her sound, you’ve never heard them blended together quite like this.…
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Of all the rock bands I’ve come across since starting Love is Pop, Dead Letter Circus is one of the most intellectual. Just pick any song from any of their albums and listen to it and you’ll see what I mean. Frontman Kim Benzie’s lyrics require deep thought to fully comprehend; they’re like riveting poetry…
