Is Carly Rae Jepsen Your New Favorite POP Star?

Do you LOVE her yet?

Unless you live under a rock (or worse... disconnected from virtual reality) chances are you have heard Call Me Maybe by overnight sensation Carly Rae Jepsen [and by overnight, we mean it.  This girl makes Lana Del Rey's popularity seem delayed].  Hailing from British Columbia, Canada, Carly Rae Jepsen already has a musical career under her belt - not only did she place third on the fifth season of Canadian Idol, she has toured her home country & released an album, entitled Tug of War, in 2008.  But a lot has changed in the four years since she her first release, namely, Carly Rae has gone global.  Acquiring an appetite for POP music after "falling in love" with the likes of Robyn & Kimbra (I mean, who can blame her), the singer-songwriter decided to venture down a new avenue: POP music.  The result? The year's biggest earworm to date: the sickeningly cute, undeniably infectious & fresh Call Me Maybe. As noted by critics, Call Me Maybe evokes memories of the early days of Britney Spears & Christina Aguilera (especially Come On Over, in my opinion). But how did this squeaky-clean 26 year-old manage to win us over so quickly?  

There are the obvious answers: Carly Rae's youthful charms, the widespread celebrity endorsement, the "Justin Bieber protegee" tag-line.  But there is something hidden beneath the surface about Carly Rae's massive breakthrough single.  Much like Selena Gomez's Love You Like a Love Song, Call Me Maybe's brilliance stems from its ability to bridge the teen POP audience & the Euro-heavy adult dancefloor.  Yes, it sounds a lot like a Disney song, but it's not. Lest we forget, Carly Rae is an experienced 26 year old songwriter on our hands, and although under the same management as Biebs, she is far more akin to artists like Taylor Swift & Ellie Goulding. With her fame on the rise, & her ability to tap into both tween-age & adult fanbases, could Carly Rae become our newest folk-POP star?  

It is, of course, too early to tell. But the buzz behind Call Me Maybe does not bespeak "one-hit-wonder."

Unapologetically,

Minna

Keep Climbing!; The Songs We Wanna See Go Higher

We are ALL about diversifying the POP landscape... & let's face it, the Billboard Hot 100 could certainly use some more variety. Recently, we've noticed a shift in popular tastes in our native USA. We hope that this trend continues, & by doing so, adds some spice & flavor to the POP music charts & airwaves. Here are the 6 songs to which we scream "keep climbing!"

Calvin Harris - Feel So Close (#15) - Oh Calvin! The Scottish raver behind international hits deserves another chart-topper of his own. It's that simple. And after the smash success of We Found Love, America will easily welcome him with open arms & neon disco balls (we feel so close to you Calvin, it's a force-field).

Fun. - Some Nights (#70) - Although a bit more complex than other tracks on their second record, Some Nights has the potential to become a collassal hit-- especially with its accessible chorus & witty lines like "here they come again to jack my style." But for now, Fun.'s current reign at #1 with We Are Young will continue to reinvigorate the POP-friendly indie band.

M83 - Midnight City (#75) - Fellow blogger Nico Lang wrote an excellent article entitled "Why We Should Make M83's 'Mightnight City' the #1 Song in America," encouraging POP-savants to mobilize behind Anthony Gonzalez's alternative masterpiece. We completely agree with him. Midnight City has earned an outpouring of critical acclaim since the release of Hurry Up, We're Dreaming last year. M83 has produced some incredible cult classics during its 10+ year lifespan, & it is about time for the band to reach popular music audiences. The beautiful & expansive Midnight City could be the ticket.

Adele - Rumor Has It (#44) -We're so proud of Adele. As someone who started as an indie singer-songwriter and catapulted to mainstream stardom, she hasn't compromised her vision nor her sound. She's still writes from the heart and puts out singles that aren't standard POP tracks in the vein of Rihanna or Katy Perry. Though she works with some big name producers, she's able to get a sound of out them that is unlike anything they've done for their other POP clients. Rumor Has It is the best example. Produced and co-written with Ryan Tedder, the One Republic frontman behind Beyonce's Halo and Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love, Rumor Has It is missing his signature synths and bum ba da bum bum bang beat, instead sounding like a bluesy time-capsule to another era. Our favorite part is the bridge, when Adele puts the uptempo attitude on pause and balladeers with a piano accompaniment. Without a doubt, this is the best song on the album. It most definitely deserves the top spot on the Hot 100.

Ellie Goulding - Lights (#66) - Across the pond, Ellie Goulding has turned her electro-folk into a POP staple. She's a bit like Taylor Swift, but with a larger vocabulary, writing songs that possess catchier hooks and more experimental song structures than any of Swift's recent singles. Lights is Goulding's most straightforward pop song to date, written with and produced by Richard "Biff" Stannard, the man behind the Spice Girls' biggest hits. Together, they've created a track about Ellie's childhood fear of the dark. Cute.

Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know (#4) - Though this song has finally made it to the Top 5, it's still not regularly played on Clear Channel stations, which boggles our minds. Such a high climb without much airplay indicates that it would be a surefire hit on radio. Times are-a-changin'. We're entering a '90s like period where indie bands (Fun., Foster the People) and singer-songwriters (Adele, Gotye) sit beside manufactured POP on the Hot 100. It's time for radio to catch up.

Unapologetically,

Gregory & Minna

All Eyes on 2012 - Part 2

2012 POP albums that have us quivering with
Antici-p-p-Pation

16. Janelle Monáe -Untitled
According to Janelle, her 2012 work (which may be 2 whole albums) will be marked by songs that "empower, encourage & make you dance" - so cheers to that! Janelle is a creative. We never really knew what to make of her first record, The Archandroid. On some days, it suits us perfectly, while on others, it comes off as a tad holier-than-thou. Regardless, girl's got some chutzpah trying something different. One thing is for sure, though - if Janelle hopes to be the icon she dreams of becoming, she needs a hit, so here's hoping she can streamline her imagination for at least a few the tracks. If her music is more palatable, her talent will be more appreciated! We're not asking you to water anything down, Miss Monáe; just give us some POP beats! Social empowerment/encouragement is most potent when dowsed in sugar. Just as Ms. Jackson If You're Nasty! ("SING IT! We are a part of a Rhythm Nation." BOOM BOOM!)

15. Rye Rye - Go! Pop! Bang!

From Bangladesh and Pharrell to Akon and Robyn, it seems like Rye Rye has been working with everyone these past few years. Hopefully her first full album will give us some up-tempo tracks for the gym & the club.

14. Rufus Wainright - Out of the Game
For his seventh studio album Rufus is apparently working with Mark Ronson (*swoon*). According to this Rolling Stone article, Out of the Game is going to be Rufus's "poppiest" album yet, with songs for "driving around in your car... or losing your mind to on a dance floor." Ooo boy, this should be a good one.

13. Scissor Sisters - Untitled
After releasing their high-quality comeback single Shady Love (featuring vocals from Azealia Banks), tenured POP performers Scissor Sisters have us pretty darn interested in their fourth album. We're also excited to see how it fares in the USA and on the UK charts. Will Scissor Sisters ever score some time on the American airwaves? Only time will tell...
Shady Love (Clean) by Scissor Sisters

12. La Roux - Untitled
Little information has been released concerning synthPOP act La Roux's second album; we do know that listeners can expect to hear the influences of Italo-disco, Donna Summer, & Grace Jones. Elly Jackson told Out Magazine that she wants a "classy, sexy" sound for the new album, "the way sexy was before it got made dirty." Oh, La Roux, we've missed you!

11. Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded

Barbies rejoice: Nicki & the ferocious Roman Zolanski are baaaaack! According to Nicki we can expect the release of Roman Reloaded's album artwork and track-listing this month. It's safe to say that the album's release day will be a semi-official holiday in ATL (Minna will report).

10. Fun. - Some Nights
Minna cannot get enough of this band! There's a lot to be excited about here; Some Nights, fun.'s second studio album, is produced by Jeff Bhasker, who has worked with Beyonce, Kanye West, Alicia Keys & Natalia Kills. By teaming up with Bhasker the guys from fun. will surely deliver an amazing indie POP album, reminding us all that you don't have to be an electronic, female solo act to make massive POP tunes.

fun.: We Are Young ft. Janelle Monáe by Fueled By Ramen

9. Adam Lambert - Trespassing
We've said it before & we'll say it again: Adam deserves far more time on the radio than he receives. Happily, Better Than I Know Myself received high praise as a super-emotional, yet danceable lead single. On top of working with big names like Claude Kelly, Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco, Adam has also collaborated with under-appreciated POP artists like Sam Sparro and Nikka Costa. Glam rock will never die, & Trespassing is shaping up to be a spectacular POP album.

8. Diana Vickers - Untitled
We didn't listen to Diana's first album, but that's not important. All that matters is the following 6 words: Music To Make The Boys Cry. We want the rest of the album NOW! (But take your time Diana, we support you!)

7. Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
You've probably never heard of her, but we put Lana on our list because, hey, wouldn't we be impeached by the Music Bloggers' Association if we didn't? (In all seriousness, Born To Die will make a major splash in 2012 - we're hoping it produces some more beautiful baroque POP anthems. We've always defended Lana)

6. Ladyhawke - Anxiety

Minna is a huuuuge fan of Ladyhawke & is more or less counting down the days until the release of her second album, Anxiety, in March. Pip Brown recorded the album with the amazing Pascal Gabriel last year & is apparently very excited to "get back in the game." We can't wait to hear Black, White, and Blue on the radio. Get it, girl!

5. Little Boots - Untitled
This chick is so underrated. She's taken her time with her second album and experienced a great deal of anxiety, as evidenced by her blog, but we're happy she took a well-deserved break in between records. It gave her the energy to come up with one of her most positively received singles, Shake. We have no doubt that this classically trained diva will keep us dancing all night with the rest of her album!

4. Regina Spektor - What We Saw From The Cheap Seats
This album title is so cute. It's kind of reminiscent of Lily's second album title, It's Not Me, It's You, but without the F.U. factor. Regina's said that she worked with Mike Elizondo, who also produced some tracks on her last record, Far, as well as having worked with Maroon 5, Snoop Dogg, and Fiona Apple. Ayayayayay! We can always count on Regina for some solid piano POP.

3. Ellie Goulding - Untitled
Interestingly, while her POP-contemporary Marina is going for "sonic=electronic" on Electra Heart, Ellie plans to strip down the production process for her next record. In the past, she stated that she wanted to find an unknown Swedish producer to work with - & we guess she has if the album is due out this year! Clearly, Ellie wants a creative partner who is eager and ego-less. Seeing as her debut, Lights, was POP and electronic, yet completely unlike any electro-POP out there, we're excited to see where her creativity will take her this time!

2. Madonna - M.D.N.A.
M.D.N.A. could equal - 1) Madonna 2) Madonna D.N.A. - Is Madonna's D.N.A. the best? She certainly thinks so. Clearly, she's a Darwinist. or 3) M.D.M.A. (the purest form of ecstasy), but replace the third "M" with "N" - how clever...Honestly? The album title sounds like Madonna is trying to be edgy and youthful, and we wish she would stop, because being younger isn't necessarily cooler. Just be yourself, Madonna! With that said, we're super excited for M.D.N.A. She's worked with William Orbit from her Ray of Light and Music days (those albums were fantastic!) and Martin Solveig, who produced Hello featuring Dragonette. We love that Madonna is still working with producers like Solveig who are on the cusp. She always does her best when she's setting the trends, rather than making them (although we did love the Hard Candy album.)

and our #1 most anticipated album is:

1. Marina & the Diamonds - Electra Heart

By now hopefully y'all know that Marina Diamandis is our muse. And yes, we feel a disconnect between Marina & her Diamonds, but both of us here at Unapologetically POP support Marina & her artwork wholeheartedly. Sonically electronic, lyrically innovative, & inspired by Greek mythology & Hollywood fantasy, Electra Heart is easily our most anticipated album of 2012. (Look Marina: WE RATED YOU HIGHER THAN MADONNA! )

Bring it on, 2012!


Unapologetically,


Gregory & Minna


PS - Did we miss anyone? Feel free to leave a comment below.