The Sounds - Dying To Say This To You

Let's chill out for some time with that nice pop band! completely mainstream, the music is not spectacular or exceptional but it is definitely good and entertaining! most of the songs are mid tempo with hooking and catchy melodies.... i think i like that album because the bass is very present, which gives it a strong disco flavor ... and the singer also has this peculiar accent from northern europe ( a bit like Bjork) that makes them sound quite exotic to my ears! enjoy!

The Sounds - Dying To Say This To You
Genre: Pop rock
Tracklist:
01 Song With A Mission
02 Queen of Apology
03 Tony The Beat
04 24 Hours
05 Painted By Numbers
06 Night After Night
07 Ego
08 Hurt You
09 Much Too Long
10 Running Out Of Turbo

Double happiness! ;)

Mylene Farmer - Avant Que L'ombre (2005)

Well before i fell into metal i think i have always loved poppy stuffs ^^, ...before i even knew what it was actually! for more than 15 years now this artist has been the only one french women i really like...but the funny thing is that despites her music, she is not that mainstream...indeed, she's quite controvertial! of course to get this you must understand the lyrics (but lots of them are sexually oriented and quite daring!). She's quite shy and is known to be a fragile beauty...sometimes she even cries on stage (for real or just as a stage show, one will never know, but i guess it is for real! ^^)... she's also the one who put this young french girl called Alizee under the spotlight...well hope you like her...i definitely do!

Mylene Farmer - Avant Que L'ombre (2005)
Genre: Pop, Ballad, Soft rock
Tracklist:
01 Avant Que l'Ombre ... (before the Shadow...)
02 Fuck Them All
03 Dans Les Rues de Londres (In the street of London)
04 Q.I (IQ)
05 Redonne-Moi (Give me again)
06 Porno Graphique (Porno graphic)
07 Derriére Les Fenétres (Behind the windows)
08 Aime (Love)
09 Tous Ces Combats (All these fights)
10 Ange, Parle-Moi (Angel, talk to me)
11 Amour N'Est Rien ... (Love is nothing)
12 J'Attends (I am waiting)
13 Peut-tre Toi (Maybe you)
14 Et Pourtant (And yet)

Sweetness for you!

Varo - hardcore beach

well as you can see iam back again ...not for long i guess but doesnt matter! ^^ Perhaps you know these girls cause apparently they come from Taiwan...anyway, their style is really pretty cool, a lot of electronic from ambiant atmosphere to a more AFX like type of thing, grinding guitars a bit in the style of Atari TR but less aggressive even so! add a smidgen of cold dark Burzumesque atmosphere here and there...this is electronic music for the most part, ....and it's pretty f"4^^ng awesome!

Varo - hardcore beach
Genre: experimental, pop, punk, electronic ...wow!
Tracklist:
01 Pieces of April
02 Stolen Summer
03 Easy Rider
04 The Man Who Was Not There
05 Memento
06 Buffalo 66
07 Amelie
08 Virgin Suicide
09 The Fast Runner
10 Bowling for Columbia

Who shot the dog!??

The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat - 2004

Perhaps you already know these guys cause i think i played them before...but anyway, they are a favourite band of mine and i know no other band like them! their style is not easy to define cause they use so many different things into each of their song, but i really like that psyche keyboard, and the theatrical like ambiances they create...the music is rather complex but i think they managed to keep it as entertaining as any thing labeled easy listening...hope you enjoy =)

The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat - 2004
Genre: Experimental Pop Rock
Tracklist:
01 Quay Cur
02 Straight Street
03 Blueberry Boat
04 Chris Michaels
05 Paw Paw Tree
06 I Lost My Dog
07 Mason City
08 Inspector Blancheflower
09 Spaniolated
10 1917
11 Bird Brain
12 Catamaran Man
13 Wolfnotes

Fictional reality!

Lumen - Правда 2007

Here is a band from Russia...sorry... i can't be more specific!^^ they play cool rock music hovering between what i'd call "heavy" poppy-tailored melodies to much heavier ones ... a bit like stuffs in the genre of muse (or something alike! ah ah!), a band that is mixing soft and more energetic ambiances ... overall the music and the way it's composed is kindda like some energetic punk rock! the vox are in russian and i just love the sound they gave to the guitars ... sharp and full of warm mids!lol well the thing i would have done on that album is perhaps to shorten some bits here and there, but not that much whatsoever ... cool band definitely ... and the last song is a quiet one!lol enjoy! \m/

Lumen - Правда 2007
Genre: Pop, Punk, Rock, Heavy Rock, Metal
Tracklist:
01 6 миллиардов
02 Буря
03 Далеко
04 Иди в отмах
05 Ложь
06 Тень
07 Хватит!
08 Хамелеон
09 Пока ты спал
10 Пора орать
11 Иначе!
12 Гореть

Hey!! what is this!!???

莫文蔚 - X

Yeah, i know, toxic war is already over! but indeed that last play triggered something else from HK (one titletrack in particular, "如果还有以后")...莫文蔚 may look like a poppy doll, well she's not! alright, alright ...but not that much even so! ^^ her style is rather ecclectic and i think you might like what she does...don't worry, it's not like the japanese childish pop i find funny for instance! she uses jungle rhythms very often but also sounds/loops that are to be found in Hip Hop or even keyboards reminiscent of Visual Kei!...and at times there are distorted guitars...actually each song has it's own style and what's great is that her voice adapts those changes! so she can sound either aggressive or very sweet, depending on the moment!...it is chiefly mainstream, but at least she proved she mastered all the different aspect of it! rock on!

莫文蔚 (Karen Mok) - X
Genre: pop, rock
Tracklist:
01 爱死你
02 看透
03 You Are So Beautiful
04 忽然东风
05 如果还有以后
06 黑雨
07 我明白他
08 腹语
09 清醒
10 双面

Tigress waiting to pounce!

諫山実生 (谏山实生) - 恋愛組曲～Ｏｎｅ ａｎｄ Ｏｎｌｙ Ｓｔｏｒｙ～ のトラック

well no one seems to be around at the moment but it doesn't matter! you'll see it at one point or another when you come by .... Isayama Mio is often considered to be a pop artist but in my view she's definitely not that and to my ears, her music is imbued with jazzy melodies. She has a great and sweet voice that can at times be likened to that of 椎名林檎 (when she's not in a rock frenzy!lol) incidentally their music can somewhat sound similar as well, and to a certain extent i'd stake that if you like one there are good chances you like the other! an excellent and melodic album that should interest anyone looking for top notch easy listening =D

諫山実生 (谏山实生) - 恋愛組曲～Ｏｎｅ　ａｎｄ　Ｏｎｌｙ　Ｓｔｏｒｙ～ のトラック2005
Genre: Pop, Jazz
Tracklist:
1 月のワルツ
2 心春めいて…
3 手紙　＜シングル・ヴァージョン＞
4 誰も知らない
5 同級生
6 想いコガレテ
7 坂道
8 桟橋＜アルバム・ヴァージョン＞
9 涙の向こうへ

Like a feather floating over!

Tanita Tikaram - Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (1992)

This is no metal, so lay back and take a good breath! I'm taking you back on the dusty track leading to the old boogie style and early r'n'r! ... in short welcome in the old south where the sun shines and the air smell like cotton..or is it rather some kind of tasty food wafting over to me?!lol Tanita Tikaram has a very pronounced bluesy colour in his music and at times it strongly reminds me of some albums by the Rolling Stones...like Beggar's Banquet for instance! but there are also many other influences, one of them being perhaps taken from Hawaiian music ...well on certain songs it sounds a bit like those overseas melodies to my ears .... overall, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness is a very peaceful and enjoyable album which you're going to like more and more as you fathom its content.... well at least i hope so! ah ah! =D

Tanita Tikaram - Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (1992)
Genre: Rock, Pop
Tracklist:
01 You Make the Whole World Cry
02 Elephant
03 Trouble
04 I Grant You
05 Heal You
06 To Drink the Rainbow
07 Out on the Town
08 Hot Stones
09 Men and Women
10 Any Reason
11 Love Don't Need No Tyranny
12 Way That I Want You

Southern flavoured poppy!

The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts 2002

Don't know if you've ever heard about that band as they apparently don't like too much to stand on the front line or under the spotlight... too bad for us cause we would gain from bringing them to another level of fame as their dreamy pop'n'roll is definitely top notch to my ears! that would change from the various shit broadcasted all day long on the air! ah ah they have something from all the best bands playing that kind of music, like the Beattles, Oasis, Neutral Milk Hotel ...and of course they have that poppy sound that is so very British! It's very strange to listen to how they managed to turn the kindda depressive mood we find in stuff by the Norwegian doom band called Godsend for instance into something which is still dark but so much sweeter.... A very dynamic and highly enjoyable album IMHO, really hope they release another one soon.... =D

The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts 2002
Genre: Rock, Pop
Tracklist
01 Leslie Anne Levine
02 Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect *my fav!*
03 July, July!
04 A Cautionary Song
05 Odalisque
06 Cocoon
07 Grace Cathedral Hill
08 The Legionnaire's Lament
09 Clementine
10 California One Youth and Beauty Brigade

Unoticed Travellers!

塞宁- 珍珠饭店 2005

that artist called 塞宁, i am not sure where she's from if it's HK, TW or China... her style is rather eclectic and original as she mixes jazz, pop, and electronic sound, depending on the song...hope you'll like it and i take any info about her if you happen to have some (cause everything i find is in chinese and it's not easy to decipher!!ah ah!) =D

塞宁- 珍珠饭店 2005
Genre: Pop, Jazz, Electro
Tracklist:
01 珍珠饭店
02 马格丽特
03 轻微
04 塞宁
05 蕾丝边

Unscrutable Newcomer!

Smokers Die Younger - X Wants The Meat 2006

SDY is a band from the UK (Sheffield) so no wonder if you just feel like they have that Brit pop thingy sticking to them! but the band has many other facets to show and though they bring nothing really spectacular and over the top they should nonetheless be worthy of your attention...broadly speaking let's say they mix rock to post/art rock with also reggae and dub/techno ambiances at times...and they did not forget to add a smidgen of psychedelic notes that i like very much! like the hidden offspring of the White Stripes and 甜梅號! ...oh and another fact about 'em...they happen to have 3 vocalists!! ah ah! enjoy!

Smokers Die Younger - X Wants The Meat 2006
Genre: Alternative, Pop, Punk, Rock, Experimental (electro, techno..)...blablabla! =P
Tracklist:
01 BAD DRIVING SCHOOL
02 YER ACTUAL
03 I SPY DRY FEAR
04 IT'S COMING STRAIGHT FOR US!
05 THREE CIGARETTES IN AN ASHTRAY
06 X WANTS THE MEAT
07 RUBBERLEGS
08 FIVE-0
09 TOM LEE
10 SDY
11 FKUSA

Avant-garde pop' n' roll!

Seminole county - seminole county (2005)

A completely different type of band this time! SC in not too much my cuppa tea as it is very much like the usual mainstream format regarding production and melodies but they have interesting ideas that's a fact, so i guess they are worth checking out =)
the music is hovering between classic pop and rock chiefly, but at times they mix it with some kind of hip hop passages and the singer even raps (somewhat like rapcore so far... except the vocalist is a female here!!) Her style is close to that of Eminem to me and it's fun to listen to her!lol....but i must say i'm rather out with the fairies when it comes to rap! ah ah! well i'd never heard such a band till now, so i hope they will open new perspectives to others as well! enjoy!

Seminole county - seminole county (2005)
Genre: Pop/Rock, Rap
Tracklist:
01 Pieces
02 Let Em' Know
03 Playin' Me
04 Simple Dark
05 Myself
06 Failed
07 The Only Thing
08 Better Than Me
09 Life In Me
10 The Blessing

Free style battle!

黑鸭子樊桐舟 - 绝色III

I don't know much about that artist, perhaps she's from China but i'm not sure at all! neither have i an idea about her lyric though i assume she must be singing about love and other related stuff (i saw many characters about that in her titletracks!) for sure she's certainly not singing about Satan's legion taking the world over! ah ah! how girlish i am at times! =/ lol well, i don't know if you'll like that one as it will certainly sound pretty common to you...anyway, i like the "melancholic" ambiances and the traditionnal aspect she keeps in her music, ...and of course her voice which is very nice and sweet IMHO! obviously i would not listen to that all day long but it's pretty cool to wake up to her lulling sound...having slept about 4 hours, today must be a soft day! ....not all songs are great but some are definitely brilliant and worth a shot, there are only 2 or 3 i would discard (see *)! ....quick gimme my warrior stick, i'm crumbling down again! ah ah!

黑鸭子樊桐舟 - 绝色III
Genre: Vocal, Pop (???)
Tracklist:
01 末班车
02 如果这都不算爱
03 曾经最美
04 不要再来伤害我
05 别怕我伤心
06 如果爱
07 光（一下子一辈子）
08 守望幸福（原创）
09 美丽心情
10 最远的你是我最近的爱
11 不管有多苦
12 别哭我最爱的人 *
13 时光 *
14 我只能爱你
15 一生爱你千百回

Don't be Afraid, War is Coming!lol

[Live Earth] The Sea and Cake - Oui [2000]

After all that battling to save the earth, i guess it's time to take some rest for the few moments left in this Live Earth 777 ...and what's better than having a good time far away from all the predicaments we'll have to face sooner or later! The Sea and Cake are your ticket ...and they are very eager to bring you in this peaceful world of their own =) the music is in the vein of Four Tets and Radiohead broadly speaking, that is sort of jazzy/electronic, a bit melancolic overall...but while they carry you across their world ...you'll think about nothing and just enjoy the ride as if on a cloud!lol... so what are you waiting, jump on and let's go!


The Sea and Cake - Oui [2000]
Genre: Easy listening, Pop, Jazz, Alternative
Tracklist:
01 Afternoon Speaker
02 All The Photos
03 You Beautiful Bastard
04 The Colony Room
05 The Leaf
06 Everyday
07 Two Dolphins
08 Midtown
09 Seemingly
10 I Missed The Glance

Gliding on a breeze!

[LPP] The Free French - A Place Of Our Own

I take advantage of this party to play stuff i usually don't indeed! the free french plays some jazzy pop which is quite enjoyable IMO. it's very well crafted and performed, a bit in the lounge style of some old jazz stuff from the 60's. it may seems a bit too "conservative" or "hype" in some sort of way, but actually if you pay attention, you can easily hear that behind simple melodies and smooth arrangement, in fact a complex and intricate work has been done! this is the slow dancing part! hope you are still able to see the girls around...or is it all blurred and swirling!?lol

The Free French - A Place Of Our Own
Genre: Pop
Tracklist:
01 Fireman
02 Living Together
03 Babysitter
04 I Need A Career
05 Everyone's Always Alright
06 You'll Suggest Somebody
07 The Scales
08 The Letter T
09 You're The Boss
10 Don't Come Cheap
11 Holiday At Home

if music was a science!

[LPP] The Boy Least Likely to - The Best Party Ever

we're in a landing zone! the party is slowing down a bit for everybody need to get a drink and relax!lol meanwhile for those who are staying on the dancefloor, this band plays some nice and sweet poppy melodies in the line of the beattles but with a more moder approach, including some electronic here and there! well we were dealing with being good, nice and all a bit earlier, that's the kind of music which is appropriate! if you headbang or get agitated with that one, then you're a madman...go and see a doc straightaway, these are "The Boy Least Likely to"! ah ah!

The Boy Least Likely to - The Best Party Ever
Genre: Pop
Tracklist:
01 Be Gentle With Me
02 Fur Soft As Fur
03 Monsters
04 Paper Cuts
05 Warm Panda Cola
06 I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes
07 I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star
08 The Battle Of The Boy Least Likely To
09 Sleeping With A Gun Under My Pillow
10 Hugging My Grudge
11 My Tiger My Heart
12 God Takes Care Of The Little Things

no booze for you, but some juice instead!lol

My Little Airport - 在動物園散步才是正經事

This band comes from Hong Kong if i'm not mistaken, and they play some pop in the line of the 80's, that is the cure and the likes. However it's not 80's pop, it's just the overall spirit of the music. there's no bass or drum! they are only 2, a guy and a girl. the guy plays the guitar and the keyboard while the girl sings. The music is very cool and sweet (the voice of the chick in particular!) and i like it a lot, especially if i'm working or having a rest...actually it carries you in a world a bit like the one of FF (like when in the チョコボ world!lol) or other fantasy video games!
Pretty cool duo IMO, if you've never heard about 'em give 'em a listen they're great ..and i always feel like this album is way too short! =)

My Little Airport - 在動物園散步才是正經事
Genre: Pop
Tracklist:
01 Coka, I'm Fine
02 動物園での散歩は大事な事 [在動物園散步才是正經事]
03 Victor, Fly Me To Stafford
04 Edward, Had You Ever Thought That The End Of The World Would Come On 20.9.01?
05 オードリー、風景について [柯德莉，關於風景]
06 My Little Banana
07 Josephine's Shop
08 フェイウォン、あなたの眉について [王菲，關於你的眉]
09 You Don't Wanna Be My Girlfriend, Phoebe
10 Dee, It May All End Tomorrow

Pop's not dead! ah ah!

Dengue Fever - Escape From Dragon House 2005

This is an American band which plays quite refreshing pop (or perhaps it might even sound experimental to some (rather secluded!) people!lol) i pretty much like the voice of the chick singing...somewhat psychedelic!! ;), i'm sure many of you will feel about the same! the music is overall very much influenced by late 60's pop/rock...and you can feel it as it's really funky and GrOovY!lol the bass lines are really cool IMO, though their are not very complex!lol there's definitely a South American colour to the music but there are certainly other influences, as to me it sounds also a bit "Asian" at times ...whatever, a pretty decent record which i recommend warmly to each and everyone of you! =)

Dengue Fever - Escape From Dragon House 2005
Genre: Pop (good one!)
Tracklist:
1 We Were Gonna
2 Sui Bong
3 Tip My Canoe
4 Tap Water
5 Sleepwalking Through The Mekong
6 One Thousand Tears Of A Tarautula
7 Escape From Dragon House
8 Made Of Steam
9 Lake Delores
10 Saran Wrap
11 Hummingbird

Feel the power of musical hybridation!

手嶌葵 - 春の歌集

Teshima Aoi(手嶌葵) is a strange girl! when you listen to her, she definitely gives the impression to be very shy! nevertheless if you like beautiful voices you'll certainly count her among your favourite artists! i discovered her with her first album in which there's not so much music ... except for her voice (a bit like "religious" music), this one is more "musical" but the main melody is still her voice. to me her music is strongly influence by what i call "traditional japanese thingy"!^^ i have no word to describe it so better get it and listen! Hope you enjoy!

手嶌葵 - 春の歌集
Genre:Rock/Pop?
Tracklist:
01 岸を離れる日
02 風の唄
03 徒然曜日
04 月のかけら
05 卒業式
06 花びら
07 心の調べ
08 願いごと

Ethereal Call!