Geneva Jacuzzi - Cannibal Babies

In the wake of David Bowie's death, it seems almost trivial to discuss music by other artists. When someone as beloved and admired as David Bowie passes, there is a lot of reflection about that persons legacy and the memories of their life. Bowie in some way or another arguably effected every musician making a go of it today, and ultimately changed the way we think about and process popular and independent music. How could anyone ever come close to filling such a polarizing figure's shoe? The answer is, they couldn't. There will never be another Bowie, but instead of searching for his successor we should really be celebrating the vast trove of sonic visions he bestowed upon us. Bowie paved a path for glam and funk artists of the 70s and even spawned a new wave of outsider music that framed the sound of the 1980s. His embrace of music videos, synthesizers, and androgynous imagery are what eventually made possible the exuberant pop music we hear from artists such as Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Adam Ant, and even Madonna. Today, Bowie's presence is inescapable, and his high wire dance between pop and the avant garde, still viewed as something of true admiration. We can easily point out his influence over large artists like LCD Soundsytem and even Lady Gaga, by why not probe the lesser known acts like Geneva Jacuzzi, who really shine in the ultra violet light of the weird. Jacuzzi has been weirding people out since 2008, with her own brand of sleaze-pop, that stands in line with with artists like Ssion, or Ariel Pink. The synths are heavy, the beat banging, and the vocals echoing through an endless slinky, dripping with motor-oil. The video here for Cannibal Babies, is filled with minimal imagery: Jacuzzi languishing infornt of a white background as the pixels distort in and around her. She's clad in a Bowie-esque unitard and her teeth glisten with a dark substance, as she sings about "cannibals coming out of my sex." Jacuzzi dredge's up feelings of nostalgia for ancient discos packed with popping freaks. While at the same time she consistently brings a vibe entirely her own to her tracks, giving this and all her songs a blurred sense of the past and the future. Bowie may have written the book, but he no doubt would have given a thumbs up, to the next chapter, being written by Geneva Jacuzzi and other's not unlike her.

Under-heard Releases of 2015

~Salad Boys - Metalmania This group of Kiwis slipped under the door of the 015, with a breezy set of carefully constructed guitar pop. With a pop punk drive and post punk vibe, Salad Boys fits comfortably among the canon of New Zealand indie rock. Equal parts The Skeptics and The Chills. Some of the more acoustic songs on here have lush sound that is so often lost on modern acoustic Pop songs, where the strumming is not wittled down like a brittle pencil, but rather built up with layering and chorus pedals. Metalmania is a delightful dream and deserves many more spins. ~Carly Rae Jepsen - Emotion Coming off the heals of a Broadway stint, as well as the release of one of the most infectious pop songs ever written, Carly Rae Jepsen was poised to take the easy way out. Put Max Martin in a room, pen a few lyrics involving emojis and dunzo. Call Me Maybe part 2, making it rain. Instead the Canadian Pop star, went a different route. Channeling 80s new wave and disco, as well as early 90s house, Emotion is the sort of record you might expect from Kyli Minogue or even Robyn, at times. Its as a progressive as it is accessible and keenly focused on production and content. Nearly every song on the album can worm its way into your head, and yet it remains estranged from top 40 list. One could make the argument that I Really Like You is the sequel to Call Me Maybe, and maybe it is, but there are so many other tracks on this album that prove that Jepsen has transcended her breakthrough hit. I Didn't Just Come Here to Dance, Warm Blood, and All That are perfect examples, of a pop artist blending her influences into deeply moving, emotional dance songs. If you had originally written this one off, don't. I urge everyone to return to a record that critics will no doubt point to in 10yrs time. ~Tamaryn - Cranekiss Cloaked in a dark, gothic sexuality, Tamaryn's Cranekiss is the sort of record Robert Smith would have loved to contribute to in the late 80s. Shed is the psychedelic wooziness that penned Tamaryn into the already overcrowded Dream Pop field. Instead she take the full step into pop-hood, with a massive record bursting with glittering synths, jagged guitars lines, and Linn Drum like percussion. With a simpleton's perception one might say, Tamaryn moved from Lush like sound to something in the realm of Siouxsie Sioux, though that comparison falls short of what is actually constructed here. The sounds our lavish and grandiose, yet still dark and yearning. Tamaryn lives more in a world of Kate Bush the way she transforms a croon to whisper, flexing her range in each track. Returning to the production, this record was made in partnership with Shuan Durkan, guitar mastermind behind Weekend, who released one of the best records of 2013, Jinx. Often we hear albums of this nature are purely derivative, aping outdated sounds of the past. Though with one spin of Cranekiss it is obvious that these songs are far more than a blast from the past, but rather a string of modern Pop songs, cast in a Goth-like house. ~Tory Lanez - Say It Tory Lanez is a Canadian rapper/singer who optimizes what it is to be a Hip-Hop artist in 2015. Created by Kanye and perfected by Drake, singing and rapping on the same track is no longer a novel thing, but simply the norm. The staggering presence of Fetty Wap's Trap Queen to the hurtling rise of Ty Dolla $ign, Pop music is currently populated by minimalist R&B. What's different about today's R&B comes in the vocal delivery, often molasses intoned croons are coupled with staccato, ratatating; where the syllables bunch together and drop, like a mouth full of pebbles. Tory Lanez does nothing to disrupt or reinvent the current Pop-mosphere, but he has tapped into its best parts, producing a truly excellent club banging slow jam. Say it opens with the slow slink of an unwaveringly catchy keyboard line, before the meat of the song, a chorus of backup singers chime in with chill inducing, "Ooo Yeah.." What would otherewise be a fairly basic track is doubled down in the hook department, through the use of the backup singers and Lanez's breathy delivery. Not to be missed, this summer song stays warm through the winter.

Tinashe - Player (video)

Amazingly choreographed and super sexy new clip for Tinashe's unforgettable new single. The somehow still under-head/underplayed Tinashe finally has a video for one of the best songs of the year. All of her release are great (I'm super siked for Joyride)! If you're a fan of Pop music, but haven't invested much time with Tinashe, then do yourself a favor RN!!! Check the vid here, ft Chris Brown and ton of acrobatic dancing.

Blood Orange - Sandra's Smile

The latest from Blood Orange is an indelibly stark melody that fits comfortably among the long list of his other, hauntingly, infectious ballads. The most basic of beats is brought to life by Devonte Hynes's wisp like croons and intonations. He again sounds like Prince at his barest, or a more toned down Silk. The song is structured around Hynes's voice, which seems to glide above the tinkering of John Carpenter-like bells, and guides us through this tale of woe. Since its arrival on the web, I keep revisiting this clip. Its shot in black and white it has a real timeless, nostalgia feel to it. As is always the case with Hynes as Blood Orange, he is both musician and performing artist. Here, he and his cohorts, decked out in serious time-warped-New York-early-90s gear, dance their way down a vacant city block. The moves feel effortless and free-form, though knowing Hynes, one can assume each aspect was fine-tuned and choreographed. As the Pop-ozone continues to mutate and reshape beneath the pink cloud of the Internet, we will repeatedly witness the meteoric rise of outsider artists. Grimes, is the perfect example of bedroom producer, turned Guggenheim curator/ Miley Cyrus compatriot. While we have already seen Blood Orange collaborations of the highest pop pedigree, we have yet to see him touch the sky. With time, there is little doubt that he too will have a Can't Feel My Face moment, straddling the line between familiarity and the future. Check the vid here, and keep a look out for all his other releases!

Bird Nest Roys - Aint Mutatin (video)

Look Back In Anger: Hi, Swingers!! Its been a little while but its time to begin again. First off special shoutout to Yumi Zouma and GVB for turning me on to this amazing group of New Zealanders, from they heyday of Flying Nun. Like being swirlied in a toilet of rainbow tea, this woozy single reverberates with psychedelic warmth and glittering harmonies. Not unlike other excellent Flying Nun label mates, Bird Nest Roys, dabbled in both jangley college rock, and hazified Dream Pop. Cast in black and white and complete with groovy background dancers, The Roys, (with a wink and a nod), knowingly acknowledge their roots in late 60s drug music, like The Byrds, or The Stones circa Their Satantic Majesties; while simultaneously layering in touches of modern Pop, a la REM, or The Field Mice. This tune really reminds me of the My Bloody Valentine song, "Cigarette In Your Bed," with the way it phases around your head like lovely purple fog. Trust me this one is worth a listen. Dig it man, dig it:

New Order - Tutti Frutti (Hot Chip remix)

Hot Chip spin one of New Order's latest tunes into a web of truth and club-banging. Lying somewhere between Pet Shop Boys and Giorgio Moroder, Tutti Frutti is an extra fun dance track with expansive synths and intricately laced drum samples. Like a sticky, dry-ice cloud enveloping the dance-floor, Hot Chip have deconstructed the track and rebuilt it stronger, and heavier. Like an extended Depeche Mode cut or the danciest breakdown off Kid A, this remix carries on with a hypnotic pulse, not unfamiliar to Disco, and Darkwave, but what else should we expected? It IS Hot Chip. Dude. Get into the groove:

The Vibrations - So Blue

Look Back In Anger: The haunting churn of this rare Doo Wop ballad is something to swoon us through the day. A choir of spirits croon behind the gentle tingle of a piano. Sleepily the drums drift along, as The Vibrations recount a tale of deep wallowing sadness. This sort of melody from the past reminds me of a dream I never had, where a mysterious box, tucked away in the attic, is dusted off to reveal a few faded reels of tape. The moon is low and the night-sky is filled with a shade of inky midnight blue. Late at night the old tape machine whirrs into life, and this ghostly ode to love-loss echoes through the rafters. Can you dig?