Tag Archives: pop

On the Merits of Modern Pop (in which I deconstruct Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” in a foolhardy attempt to prove that it is good)

Once, in an interview, I asked a Beatles expert whether he listened to any modern Top 40 hits. “They’re fun, they’re great to dance to, but there’s not a lot of meat there, in my opinion,” he said, citing the … Continue reading

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A Show I Went To: Lucius

It’s next to impossible to tell the two lead singers of Lucius apart. And that’s clearly their intent. I don’t mean physically. In that respect, they are opposites: Holly Laessig the tall, long-necked ectomorph to Jess Wolfe’s compact curves. Both … Continue reading

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Sax Attack!

  Saxophone. In the context of rock or pop music, it is largely presumed to be a thing of the past. When we hear “saxophone,” we think Bruce Springsteen, Kenny G, or, most damningly, “the ‘80s.” (It’s easy to blame … Continue reading

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Best Of: 2011

This year, along with all the other writers at indie music blog kevchino.com, I was charged with compiling a list of my 15 favorite albums of 2011. Ordinarily I like making lists, a.k.a. arbitrarily ranking things. But it seemed unjust … Continue reading

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Pop Music Over-Analysis: Country Songs

It seems fitting that my first blogpost in three-and-a-half months should have a shocking confession. I’d hate to let my nonexistent readership down, so here it is: I love country music. Country music, as a general category, gets a bad … Continue reading

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Of Lake Street Dive and Nachos

We’ve all heard it said, at some time or another, about a great bar, or a vintage clothing store, or a hole-in-the-wall diner that serves the best nachos in town: “this city’s best-kept secret.” You might think it’s a good … Continue reading

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Powa

tUnE-yArDs: w h o k i l l A version of this review appears on kevchino.com. Merrill Garbus, the singular voice behind tUnE-yArDs, is never in better company than with herself. On the band’s latest album, w h o k … Continue reading

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Album of the week: Lake Street Dive by Lake Street Dive

Lake Street Dive knows how to make noise. Armed with only a standup bass, drums, a trumpet, the occasional guitar, and three sets of lungs, the Boston-born, Brooklyn-based indie outfit puts on an electrifying live show, a big, joyful racket … Continue reading

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Where? There!

Say what you will about Glee, the hit musical dramedy on Fox—if nothing else, it’s a very accurate barometer of pop music trends. Sure, there was the obligatory Justin Bieber episode and the elaborate homage to Madonna, but the show does … Continue reading

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Time Changes

It’s been more than a week since daylight savings but I’m still feeling the drag of that lost hour. Is it really the first day of spring? The minute we’re launched, gratefully, out of stagnant winter, time speeds up. Dismal … Continue reading

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