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Friday Dance Jam and Weekend Update: Ronika, “Automatic”

30 Mar


Ronika, “Automatic”

This track is fresh as fuuuck somehow, even though this totally could have been from like 1989, like Ronika could have been the musical guest on America’s Funniest Home Videos during a time when people would have actually watched such a thing (hosted by Bob Saget, of course). It’s making me so ready for summer. Puerto Rico was like this dirty tease. I need to even out this tan, sun! Come on out!

My review of this song, in short: This song makes me wish I had a convertible so all the bitches could hear me listen to it.

But I don’t. And this weekend I’m not up to much exciting, I guess. I have a good friend from thee olden days in Buffalo in town. We are going to see Guitar Wolf this weekend at the Knitting Factory. Looking forward to sleeping in and chillin’ as hard as I’ve been partying which is harder than you even know.

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Mainstream Monday: Fun. & Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry goes shoegaze

26 Mar

Ms. Clarkson is so tuff.

When I say I’m super into pop, I don’t just mean the kind that you can only find on obscure CD-R labels run out of a remote corner of Sweden or even stuff on Matador. No sir, I love pop in all of its forms, both respectable and shameful. That means my car radio is sometimes on Z100, and I find myself being laughed at on McGuinness Blvd for not realizing my windows were down when screaming Britney Spears lyrics (“I Wanna Go” is SUCH a jam).

There’s a few songs that are making the rounds on the top 40 radio that I am especially digging lately.

Fun. is a band from NYC that Wikipedia thinks is “indie pop.” I don’t really know about that. I guess they are indie in that they are on an independent label, but their song “We Are Young” is seriously everywhere. I had to use one of those song recognition app to figure out who they are (so obscure) because this song is so catchy and so uplifting and makes me feel less bad about turning 27 in a few months. Apparently this song is featuring Janelle Monáe, but her vocals seem to be super duper buried and I only knew when it was her singing after watching the music video, so it’s a moot point in my opinion. Anyone know of any remixes of this song? I feel like this could be a sick dance jam, no?


Fun. feat Janelle Monáe, “We Are Young”

Can I be for real right now and say you forfeit the indie status when your music video is an obvious plug for the Windows phone? The goddamn MICROSOFT phone, y’all. Sell outs. Real alts obviously only use iPhone or Android, but Blackberry is acceptable in the case of a shitty wireless plan or if you’re seeking a vintage feel*.

You know who is not a sell out? Kelly Clarkson. You heard it here first. Kelly is so adverse to selling out, she refuses to change her formula out of fear that someone will misconstrue it as a way to garner more record sales. Clearly she is sticking to the same formula because she is a Woman of Integrity. Fun. take note as you continue on your mainstream career. But really, Kelly Clarkson comes out every few years with a new “Fuck that dude!” jam. No complaints from me, as I can be a bitter, bitter woman, and Heavenly only gets me so far when I need a little uplifting in the dating department. “Stronger,” Kelly Clarkson’s latest fuck that dude hit**, is my favorite since “I Do Not Hook Up” (I don’t even know if she’s had anything out since then). I particularly like to listen to this jam when reading He’s Just Not That Into You.

**Not to be confused with fuck that dude hits, which we leave to Nelly Furtado here at PopMinx.


Kelly Clarkson, “Stronger”

Is Kelly mainstream riot grrrl incarnate? I don’t know.

Speaking of riot grrrl but not at all, did you know that Katy Perry says her new record is gonna be shoegazey? I feel like I need to sit the girl down. Shoegaze does not a broken heart mend, and she’d probably feel better if she listened to some Kelly Clarkson instead. Also, I’d love to make her a mix. I think she’d really dig The Blanche Hudson Weekend.


The Blanche Hudson Weekend, “Crying Shame”

*I really hope y’all know I’m being facetious.

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Greetings from Puerto Rico: Local Pop and Indie

21 Mar

Hey all! I’m updating from San Juan, Puerto Rico. It’s definitely a nice opportunity to chill out and have some relaxation. I’ve never gone on a vacation like this before. I went to Austin, TX for vacation once, but obviously there wasn’t really any beach or anything at all like this. I’m staying at a cute lil hotel, and I’ve eaten my weight in rice and beans already. Tonight I’m gonna check out Old San Juan.

I’ve decided to do a little research into pop bands down here on the off chance one of them would be playing a show. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like anyone will be playing while I’m here, but I found some sweet bands!

Balún is from here in San Juan and have been playing since 2002. They actually played NYC Popfest last year! So sad I missed them.

Balún, “Las Olas” live

How freaking adorable is this? Love it.

Another amazing Puerto Rican band I didn’t know about is Davila 666. I love this vintage, garage rock sound. I’m not exactly sure where in Puerto Rico they are from, but I am so into this. I plan on finding some mp3s and rocking this on the beach tomorrow.


Davila 666, “Yo Seria Otro”

Anyway, I’m gonna keep searching to see if I can find any shows going on. If you happen to know of good resources for pop or indie or punk music in Puerto Rico, please pass on! As beautiful as it is here, there’s only so much stereotypically touristy stuff I can take, and I’m here until Sunday. I’d love to meet some bad ass locals.

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Veronica Falls, “My Heart Beats” Video Debuts

13 Mar

Let’s face it; most of the time, when you love a band’s first record to the extent to which I loved Veronica Falls’ debut, the follow up is a disappointment. It happens to me all the time. And I get it, bands evolve or some shit, but I really just want a better version of what I liked the first time around, and that’s a difficult thing to do when people have Artistic Integrity ™.

Today has eased some of my fears with Slumberland-darlings Veronica Falls. The video for the first single since the debut LP has crazed the Tweeter-sphere (see what I did there?). “My Heart Beats” comes out on Bella Union on March 26 and is available for pre-order. That means I have to literally sit at my computer and hit refresh on this goddamn Vimeo video until then but for reals, no fucking problem.

And can we talk about this video? It is ethereal and pop-art inspired, colorful and easy on the eyes. It’s makes me wanna steal a Vespa. It’s basically all the best stuff about VF, but in visual form.

I do think it’s super interesting how colorful the video is when you think about this single in comparison to VF’s first record. The first record was laden with poppy melancholia, a stark black and white barn on the cover of the record. The songs, while containing a lot of depth, were sepia tone in sound, lacking the punch “My Heart Beats” has. This new single is all color. There is an optimism that was missing from the first record, but not unwelcome at all. The Line of Best Fit (who premiered the video) said it best when they said it is the “most outwardly accessible tune to date.”

I am waiting with baited breath for what’s to come, Veronica Falls.

Veronica Falls – My Heart Beats from Army Of Kids on Vimeo.

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What I’m Digging Lately: Mazes

13 Mar

The 90s, man.

Mazes is pretty fucking rad. I’m late as all hell on this as these guys totally flew under my radar. And what? This band is from the UK? Because this band sounds like they should be hanging out with Janeane Garofalo and David Cross in like 1996 or something.

Self-disclosure: I am not the biggest Pavement fan in the world. I know, I know, who do I think I am, but really, they never did much for me. Like, there’s definitely a few Pavement bangers out there that I am all about or whatever, but Mazes takes everything I love about Pavement and amplifies it. It also sort of reminds of me of more mainstream alt-rock at the time, with a sprig of Gin Blossoms and Lemonheads or whatever in the best way possible (I love Gin Blossoms til I die).

God, does anyone have the Mazes appearance on The Adventures of Pete and Pete on VHS? What do you mean that never happened? Because that’s what comes to mind when I hear this, and I love that. I definitely get some strong Polaris vibes. Also, did you know this was the band that opened for Sebadoh when I missed them in November? Hate myself. Maybe I just won’t get out of bed tomorrow until 4pm where I eat Fruity Pebbles for dinner and totally live up the slacker lifestyle to MOAR MAZES. Inspired.


Mazes, “Summer Hits”

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New Music Monday: Liechtenstein’s Fast Forward

12 Mar

I saw Liechtenstein, all-girl indie pop outfit from Sweden, open for the incomparable Cats on Fire back in 2009 at the sadly now closed Bruer Falls. Their strength, like many of the latest bands to emerge from Slumberland, is their ability to remind me of other rad bands I love. This is not a bad thing… Liechtenstein brought to mind the greats. Dolly Mixture, Heavenly, The Raincoats, Shop Assistants, basically the entire gamut of 80s female fronted pop. Their debut Survival Strategies in a Modern World, specifically the track “All at Once,” had some heavy rotation in the Pop Minx household.

I was excited to listen to Fast Forward because the debut was such a hit for me, but I have to say that I don’t think it’s going to have so much lasting power for me. It’s definitely a good record, and the first single, “Passion for Water” is a great track. There is an edge, however, missing from this record that the debut had. This record just isn’t cutting enough. It’s softened, but not soft like an egg you overpoached*, and I guess it’s just sort of undefined. It actually even seems less poppy, and almost delves a bit into more post-punk territory. I think “No Idealists Left” is a good example of that and is actually one of my favorite tracks on the record. There is definitely a mark they were aiming for, and I think they missed it by a hair.

Here’s to hoping they get it next time. I think the first record was so fucking good, and I am still holding out for this to grow on me.

6.5/10

*It’s Monday, but Sunday brunch is still on the mind, I guess.

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