"Pop Does Not Mean Popular: A Polite Introduction to Hussalonia (2004-2014)" (Hussalonia)

[$9 to Download // $12 for CD // https://hussalonia.bandcamp.com/album/pop-does-not-mean-popular-a-polite-introduction-to-hussalonia-2004-2014]

I'm not really sure what I was thinking going into this album.   It's a collection of songs that span ten years and I'm still not really sure whether the term "Hussalonia" refers to the artist name or the label that these songs appear on or perhaps in some weird way both.   None of that matters though, and neither does my preconceived notions going into this.    The fact is it threw me for a curve because it isn't pop in the traditional sense of the radio sound (Ummm... Let's say One Direction for right now) but yet it does have elements of pop to it.

There are many kinds of music that can be tagged as "pop".    This has pieces of them with it being a cross between pop rock and bedroom pop, but as it likes to point out- and something that I really never think about- is that in these instances "pop" is never in reference to "popular", which is how it is traditionally used in music.    When was the last time you actually heard a bedroom pop album that was popular?    Even, for all of his many wonders and delights (and as he comes out in these songs also), Elliott Fucking Smith himself isn't really all that popular still.

I suppose I thought that this album might take sounds of a different variety and mix them around to sound like what is considered to be popular music.  (see: hiyohiyoipseniyo)  These are beautifully crafted songs that remind me of an acoustic Weezer, Buddy Holly, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed or something from Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records.   The fact that these songs can stay so off the radar for all of these years (and I'm just hearing about them now) does prove the title correct.

It's strange to think that your music can be catchy and all of the things you think of when you consider what the term "pop" represents musically, and yet they can just seemingly go by unnoticed.   And it's not just this-- there is so much more.    It's everything, man.    Should we be renaming bedroom pop to something else?   I'm not sure who to contact about that, but these songs are magnificent and I think we should spread them around so as to try and prove the title wrong: let's make them popular.

Hannah Epperson "BURN"

[$5 CAD to Download // $15 CAD for 7" Vinyl // https://hannahepperson.bandcamp.com/album/burn]

I've been trying as much as I can in recent months- and really it was most of my mantra for the end of 2014 going into 2015- to not compare artists with other artists in a negative way.   This is simply to say that I no longer wish to say: "This sounds like <fill in the blank> only better!" because it's kind of that belief of putting someone else down to pick yourself up.    (Though I'm technically not picking *myself* up, just the other artist who sounds how I would like the first, not as good artist to sound)

These two songs from Hannah Epperson begin with beats, strings and an overall mix of electronic pop rock that musically has the makings of something like Gotye.     As strings are delicately plucked in the second song you can hear this as well.    It's very easy to please the ears with these intricate wonders of music on both of these songs.   I've listened to this through at least once trying to focus only on the music and pretend that the vocals do not exist (I sometimes wish I had the technology to pull the vocals out in some sort of music program way) and it is just fascinating to hear the many layers at work here.

On one hand, you have earth-shattering beats that make you believe this could be some sort of hip hop, and yet the style and grace of something classical in the string sense.   Now just imagine the stereotypical person who you would think of as liking classical music (snooty) meeting the stereotypical person who you would think of as liking hip hop (gangsta)   They seem so different, but when these two sounds clash on "BURN" it creates an all new form of beauty.

As you stop picking apart the music, listening for the various levels on which it operates, you do realize that, yes, this does indeed have some beautiful female vocals singing over it as well.    It reminds me of the first time that I heard Polly Scattergood or Kimbra, but back to what I was saying in the first paragraph-- one song particularly stuck out to me when listening to this and that was the theme song to the Netflix original series "Orange Is The New Black".    Of course that song, easily searchable for the artist behind it, is a song that I do enjoy because it gets stuck in my head when I binge watch OITNB but I am not a fan otherwise of her music.

Now I'll say something tired and cliche about how if that other artist sounded more like Hannah Epperson then I would certainly be listening to her as well.    But it doesn't really get much better than these two songs right here and regardless of what other artists you happen to like or dislike or maybe have just not heard of yet, "BURN" should be in your playlist if not your vinyl collection.

Danny Darko ft. Julien Kelland "Say Goodbye" (Original Mix) [single]

[https://soundcloud.com/dannydarko1/danny-darko-ft-julien-kelland-saygoodbye]

It's hard for me to describe the music going on within this song.   It's not full on "pop" in the way that you would think of something being on the radio and thus becoming obnoxious to me because the vibe is a lot more chill.   It's also not really rock, as there are beats and tones of bliss, but yet somehow I want to call this "pop rock" in the way that Blue October would make one of their songs (see: "Approaching Normal") rather than the more traditional route.    The vocals remind me a bit of Polly Scattergood but they do stand out as something unique and for that I do want to listen to anything with Julien Kelland in it now.

There are guitars but not in the sense that you might think of as being upbeat and annoying.   They're strummed along to the synth bass and this is just all around chill.   I'd call it chillwave but it might not be quite that but rather a combination of that, pop, rock and something else I cannot quite place.    Still, this song is a lot of fun and I'd put it on my mixed tape for sure so you should be listening to it as well.    Volume up, windows down.

Portia Winters "epicotyl" (Exotic Pylon)

[€10 for CD or Download // https://portia.bandcamp.com/album/epicotyl]

This is my first time hearing Portia Winters but for once I don't feel badly about that because this is said to be her debut album.     What you have to understand about "epicotyl" is that it's a pop album at its heart but the pop qualities of it are then chopped up and screwed.     It's that beauty of Polly Scattergood mixed with something that Bjork only wishes she could create.

Through strings, beeps, electro blips and a twisted water dripping sound comes some of the most delicate and wonderful vocals you will ever hear.    You're going to need to listen to this one multiple times to truly experience it because it is just that complex.     Though there is quite a bit of audio manipulation, especially with the vocals, a song such as "There My Rest" seems to go untouched and is more reserved, almost as if a lullaby.

A song like "Revolution" though can come out much louder, closer to something electronic and mechanical-- an anthem if there was one on this album.     Phil Collins drums and vocal loops do come into play though maybe not literally.    It's funny because on a song like "I Won't Be There" it seems as if there are no instruments until steel sounding drums kick in, yet on "Now Go Down" it feels like it will be strictly instrumental with something that sounds like spoons.    That is until the vocals kick in and overpower everything else in the world.

This is one of those albums that you're going to listen to and think about afterwards because you knew that these things were possible with music because they've been done before but they've never been done this way.    Certain elements might not be touched upon as much as others previously but this is a pure work of genius and one of the best albums I have heard in a very long time.

Dan Deacon "Gliss Riffer" (Domino)

When I first heard of Dan Deacon he had just released "Spider-Man of the Rings".   As I look back at it now, I can see that was released in 2007 (really?) and so it's been about eight years since I last wrote about Dan Deacon.   I listened to his album that came before this, "America" (from 2012), but apparently didn't write about it.

From what I remember there was a lot of electronic experimentation on "Spider-Man of the Rings" and that doesn't seem to come out as much on "Gliss Riffer" or at least not right away.     On the first song this is more of a traditional distorted electronic rock with elements of pop and even female vocals accompanying him at times.     There are drum machines that offer up dancing beats and it kind of reminds me at times (on the second song at least) of "The Safety Dance".

But as this goes on it can shift from that rock sound of, say, Modest Mouse to what I remember in that far out way from Dan Deacon.    But I think the moral of the story here for me is that there were two albums released between "Spider-Man of the Rings" and "Gliss Riffer" so I should probably familiarize myself with both of them and maybe even the ones that came before "Spider-Man".

I don't remember much about "America" and am not even sure if I heard the one that came before that ("Bromst") but I will go back for them.     All I know is that I liked "Spider-Man of the Rings" and this seems like a bit of a jump from there (Again, missing pieces for me and all) but I still enjoy the hell out of it.

Tropics "Rapture" (Innovative Leisure)

Perhaps one of my best reasons for liking Tropics is because I don't really listen to music like this and of course by my saying "music like this" it implies that other music of this nature exists and for all that I know it simply does not.    There is no good way to describe the music of Tropics using comparisons because there really isn't anything in my collection to compare it with exactly.

Right away I have this pegged as being somewhere between pop and soul.   It has that just overall non-threatening and pleasant vibe to it that I feel puts it somewhere on that pop scale.   Yet at the same time the music reminds me a bit of R&B and as such I can think of this as having soul if not directly being a reflection of soul music.

Between synthwave, new wave and just my banner of being smoov I really have no place to put this percussion filled slow jamz mix that can go from drums to drum machine.    On Spotify, some of the related artists include but are not limited to Giraffage, Com Truise, Mount Kimble, Balam Acab, Sun Glitters, Gang Colours and Shlohmo, who I've admittedly listened to and enjoyed but still don't recall hearing anything like "Rapture" before.

If not for that "it's unlike anything I've ever heard before" tangible, this is going to stand out as one of my favorite albums on 2015 simply because it is that good.    The fact that it is pleasing to the ears just makes me want to listen to it that much more, as it gets stuck in your head but in a good way.   Imagine if you could eat all the candy you wanted without getting sick.

ENL1TE "Five Tracks"

https://soundcloud.com/enl1te

I downloaded five songs from ENL1TE's Soundcloud and are reviewing them as an EP of sorts even though they seem to be singles.   The first two are with Tammy Infusion and are called "Greedy" and "Way Out".    The other three are with Valerie Broussard and are titled "Silent", "Superman" and "Vertigo".

These are all pop songs as they all have hooks, but they have that soul quality to them as well.    It's electronic on some levels but in other ways it reminds me of something straight out pop on the radio and all I can think right now is back to the songs where Nicki Minaj sings as opposed to raps and Rihanna... that sort of idea.

The thing is that any of these five songs should be on the radio right now and it'd make for an easy number one hit.    To offer up some full disclosure, I've been listening to the radio somewhat lately and I do hear pop songs more because my three year old likes them.    So there is this one particular song I keep hearing and I kind of like it but never hear the artist name.  

One day when I was at home thinking about it (and not driving because I always hear it when I'm driving and can't google then) I googled the lyrics to see who it was by.    I'm not going to tell you who it was by because it's somewhat embarassing and I don't embarass easily, but I will tell you that any of these tracks by ENL1TE would not be embarassing to admit you like.    Play them loud so your neighbors can thank you later.