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Tracklisting
of POPvolume#4 :
TRASH
POP MUSIC - Reflect
THE STUDIO -
Shake U Down by the River
MAARTEN - At a Copenhagen
Theatre
McENROE - Wandering
Eye
FABIO VISCOGLIOSI
- Cari Angeli Revisited
BARBARA MANNING AND THE GO-LUCKYS!
- Dreaming
THE BITTER SPRINGS
- Big Sweaty Dad
URSULA - Que El Caos
Se Apiade De Ti (South Bay Remix)
THE NATIONAL
- About Today
THE TEMPORARY THING
- Jean-Paul Belmondo
MAISON NEUVE
- Your Go-Between
SUNDAYER - Pebble
Shore
THE HIGH LLAMAS
- 2 Part Byke
CRASHING DREAMS
- Uppercut
SHERAF - Luna Pitoli
STRAND - Ladan-Ladeh
CAVIL AND TRANSPENNINE DT
- Handing Down
THE PORTAL
- Jesus From The Block
How
To Buy POPvolume#4 ?
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TRASH
POP MUSIC - Reflect 
Cedric B's sonic youth adventures as an Airwave member
are now definitely gone by and he is back with his own
brand new and ambitious project. Trash pop must be the
sort of music that springs from those rude awakenings when
you are hung over but you still manage to build up retro-futurist
monuments of joyful electronic. Listening to "Reflect"
is like visiting Saint Paul's Cathedral guided by a
Sexy Beach Boy. Trash Pop Music might come from the gutters
but it takes you up to the stars.
THE
STUDIO - Shake U Down by The River
The legend goes that Dan, one member of this Swedish duo,
does not own a single record…this is simply amazing!
The six tracks available on three LPs released by the label
Service all come out to be dashing, cunning hits . "Shake
U Down by the River" is one of these energetic tunes.
Site : http://www.srvice.com/
POPnews
review:
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/thestudio
MAARTEN
– At A Copenhagen Theatre
It could have been a terrible loss for us if Maarten had
decided to split up after their self-produced first album
which had been praised to the sky. Despite difficult times,
they formed up again as a basic trio. Maarten definitely
flaunts its 60s-rooted pop, displaying a great range of
delicately crafted melodies, heat-warming vocals and wondrous
choruses. Let's go through it all over again with
their outstanding hit, "'At A Copenhagen Theatre".
Site
: http://www.maarten.online.fr
POPnews reviews :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/maarten/
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/maartenitw/
McENROE - Wandering
Eye
Mcenroe
is Rap's Stakhanovist; he does everything… he
is a MC, a prolific producer and a record label boss as
well. Since his first EP (The Ethics, 1998), he has become
one of the key figures of the Canadian hip hop underground.
There could be no better way to step into his intricate
world than listening to autobiographical "'Wandering
Eye", taken from his first genuine solo album (Disenfranchised,
2003). With no fuss, Mcenroe discloses how he gradually
came to rap on a perfectly mastered instrumentation.
Site
: http://www.peanutsandcorn.com/
Email : roddy@peanutsandcorn.com
POPnews
review :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/mcenroe/
FABIO
VISCOGLIOSI - Cari Angeli
Fabio Viscogliosi is as much known for his illustrated
books (published at Seuil, l'Association and Cornélius)
as for his music. In the 90s he formed up Big Yum Yum,
an instrumental music duo, he then joined in the Married
Monks to work on their album "'R/O/C/K/Y" before
taking part in Yann Thiersen's (Amélie Poulain)
fourth album "'Tout est calme". In his first
solo album, "'Spazio", released in 2002, he
unfolds his singular and melodic inner world, which oscillates
between pure pop anthems and experimentation, mixing songs
in Italian with odd instrumentals. "'Cari Angeli" is
an unrealised sung version of one of these instrumentals,
which was first recorded to feature on the soundtrack of
Guillaume Nicloux's film, "'Cette Femme là".
In this vaporous, celestial song, the harmonica conjures
up psychedelic landscapes. Once more, Fabio strays from
the beaten tracks and leads us to the unknown. Dear Angels
("'Cari Angeli"), this song is for you.
Site
: http://www.microberecords.com
POPnews review :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/viscogliosiitw
BARBARA
MANNING AND THE GO-LUCKYS! - Dreaming
Barbara Manning's CV is impressive: after her debut
within several Californian bands, her road as a solo artist
has crossed the path of great icons such as Stuart Moxham
(Young Marble Giants), Stephin Merrit ( The Magnetic Fields),
Joey Burns and John Convertino (Calexico), Robert Scott
(The Bats), David Kilgour (the Clean), Chris Knox (Tall
Dwarfs) or Graeme Downes (The Verlaines). Yet, it is when
she goes hand in hand with the Steinbach twin brothers
that she gives the best in her offering us gems of energetic
melodies as in "'Dreaming".
Site
: http://www.barbaramanning.com
POPnews review :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/barbara
THE
BITTER SPRINGS - Big Sweaty Dad
How comes the Bitter Springs are still complete strangers
to most of us when they have been around since the mid
80s and they have been called "'Best kept secrets" by
the British press? Maybe this band of five is not glamorous
enough to hit the headlines, spending too much time polishing
up the details of their stirring bittersweet songs. Even
so, they do not have the exposure they deserve in France.
But it is bound to change soon. The band works on a new
album (their fifth) which should bring them to fame at
last. "'Big Sweaty Dad" is already one of the
POPnews team's favourites. It's your turn to
get carried along by this whirling chorus.
URSULA
- Que El Caos Se Apiade De Ti (South Bay Remix)
Ursula, a lady from Cadiz who was born out of
the Superdoctostereo's split, is in fact a band composed
of four Spanish men : the leader, David Cordero (vocals,
guitars and accordion) and three multi-instrumentalists:
Cristo Ramirez, Raul Raja and Ben Montoya. It only took
them two albums, "' Banda Sonora De Mi Funeral" and "'Todo
Vuelve A Ser Lo Que No Era", to have their talent
recognised and admired. Many words could describe Ursula's
music (electro, introspective pop, slowcore…) but
the ones that probably suit them best are ‘melancholy' and ‘intimist'.
POPnews
review :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/ursula
THE
NATIONAL - About Today
The National come from Brooklyn and have managed to stand
out on the European stage thanks to powerful concerts,
performed by the charismatic singer, Matt Berninger, whose
voice is more haunted than ever, and by the musicians who
displayed a restrained energy. Their second album "'Sad
Songs For Dirty Lovers" , praised by the audience
and by the critics, is a classic. It was massively listed
as one of the favourite albums of the year 2003 in most
of the European music press. Just as Arab Strap's
and The Tindersticks', their music is both languid
and impetuous. "'About today", which is taken
from a new EP (to be released later on this year), gives
a luminous insight into the quintet's disenchanted
world: Innocence is lost, illusions are gone, love is absent
but music assuages the pain and this is simply beautiful.
Sites :
http://www.americanmary.com/
http://www.talitres.com/
POPnews reviews :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/thenational2/
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/thenational/
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/thenationalitw2/
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/thenationalitw/
THE
TEMPORARY THING - Jean-Paul Belmondo
After experiencing solo adventures around the world, which
gave birth to a perfect pop single released on the Greek
label Pop Art, Andrew Gleason came back home and set up
The Temporary Thing with the ambitious objective to mix
homely American folk and luxurious Twee-pop with a British
sense of catchy melody on his first celebrated album. Here
we are two years later: new songs, straightforward lyrics
with melodies that are catchier than ever. Jean-Paul Belmondo
will leave you breathless…
Site
: http://www.thetemporarything.com/
POPnews review : http://www.popnews.com/popnews/temporarything
MAISON
NEUVE - Your Go-Between
Maison Neuve is Guillaume Faure's musical venture.
The young lad spent his unruly youth listening to the crystal
pop of St Christopher, the Go-Betweens or The Apartments
(to name but a few). Last year, Maison Neuve was spotted
and selected as one of France's most gifted newcomers
by "'Les Inrockuptibles". Maison Neuve's
music sounds reserved and discreet at first but Guillaume
Faure knows a thing or two about unforgettable melodies,
crafty arrangements that will tug the listener's
heartstrings. "'Your Go-Between", a melodic
time bomb, loaded with melancholy harmonies and fragile
guitars, is charming and irresistible.
Email : fc_maisonneuve_1979@yahoo.fr
SUNDAYER
– Pebble Shore
Sundayer is a duo emerging from the fog of Rouen. They
make a calm and introverted music which reflects their
personality. With only one EP to their name and before
a promising tour, "'Pebble Shore" will make
you immerse into Sundayer's deeply intense and blurry
pop.
Site : http://membres.lycos.fr/sundayer
Email : xavhemery@yahoo.com
POPnews review :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/sundayer
THE
HIGH LLAMAS - Two Part Byke
First and foremost , The High Llamas stemmed out from Sean
O'Hagan's musical genius on his first solo
album after the Microdisney had split. Since 1991 the band
has changed a lot, but the praise has never stopped. They
were compared to the Beach Boys, Love or Mancini but these
comparisons only revealed one side of a talent too great
to be labelled. In 2003, after wandering for too long,
the band took refuge on the label Tricatel and released
a new masterpiece entitled "'Beet Maize and Corn".
Sean O'Hagan was kind enough to share one of his
little treasures with us. "'Two Part Byke" was
the B-side of a single only edited in Japan. Today it is
one of the marvels available on POPvolume#4.
POPnews
reviews :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/highllamas
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/albums17
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/albums5
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/oldies/llamas/
CRASHING
DREAMS - Uppercut
"'Uppercut", what other title could best describe
the music made by the Steinbach twin brothers, Flavio and
Fabrizio, also known as Barbara Manning's enthusiastic
backing musicians. As Crashing Dreams, they show a great
energy playing a direct and powerful mix of raw rock: straight
jab to the jaw, and heavy blows that leave you voiceless. "'Uppercut" will
knock you out in two minutes and twenty-three seconds.
Site:
http://www.crashingdreams.de
POPnews review :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/albums61/
SHERAF
- Luna Pitoli
The fist time we had heard of him, he was in a band called
Chapter 24 with Laurent (Tokyo/Overtones) but now Raphaël
Campana a.k.a Sheraf is on his own and makes a subtle and
melancholy mix of electro-pop. His soft , delicate vocals
on "'Luna Pitoli" will move you. There is more
to hear of him on his forthcoming album, soon to be released
by Porc-Epic, a record label from Le Havre.
Email
: sheraf@voila.fr
STRAND
- Ladan-Ladeh
Miguel Gil Tertre is 24 and comes from Madrid. One day
he had the most brilliant idea to turn into electronica
and, since then, he has never looked back. We discovered
him with the sumptuous album "'Domestica_04" he
released with Polaroïde, and his performance at the
Sonar festival brought him to light. He released "'Paz",
his first solo album in which melodies and rhythm battle
ceaselessly for control. His music, computer-generated
and yet totally humane, is full of contrasts, at the same
time crackling and soothing which is totally enthralling.
Site
: http://www.giltertre.com
POPnews
reviews :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/polaroide
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/strand
CAVIL
AND THE TRANSPENNINE DT - Handing Down
After featuring on several of the Vespertine compilations
and recording a single, Cavil released his first album, "'Laughing
in the Morning", in 2002 on the most remarkable label
Acétone. Since then, his ten bucolic, sweet and
sad songs have never left the personal stereos of the ones
lucky enough to find this record. The instant pop hit that "'Hanging
down" is, gives us great hope for the future.
Site
: http://cavil.free.fr/
POPnews review :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/cavil/
THE
PORTAL - Jesus From The Block
Carolyn
Allen and Gerard McInulty (alias Caesar) are the ex-members
of The Wake, a cult Scottish band which finds
its place in the history of two of the best records labels
England has had (Factory and Sarah Records). They are back
with their new project The Portals. On top of it all, they
manage a theatre company called "'12 STARS".
Their music is a minimalist and meditative mix of guitars
and keyboards echoing each other and paving the way for
a strange vocal duo. The song "'Jesus from the Block" should
be the starting point of a stage performance by "'12
STARS".
Site
: http://www.thewake.freeserve.co.uk/
Edito POPnews :
http://www.popnews.com/popnews/edito.php?action=27
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