Mixing a new pop sound
Charli XCX Pop2 Warner
CHARLI XCX has already exerted her influence on the sound of pop music.
The co-writer of Iggy Azalea’s Fancy and Icona Pop’s ILoveIt, Charli, who scored her own hit Boom Clap, likes combining exuberant synthesizer-filled dance music with simple, memorable choruses and hip-hop swagger.
On her new mixtape Pop 2, Charli and her pals, especially PC Music’s A.G. Cook, craft a future where that combination could rule the airwaves.
Because Pop 2 is a mixtape rather than an official album, Charli can simply focus on the songs rather than worrying about whether the album also serves as a proper star vehicle for her blossoming career.
That means Tove Lo takes the lead in the catchy Out of My Head, with Charli not appearing until the second verse.
It means she pretty much shares the gorgeous Backseat equally with Carly Rae Jepsen, disguising her own vocals in layers of Auto-Tune, while pushing Jepsen’s breathy vocals up in the mix.
And, most importantly, it means that Charli can take chances that she might not if the stakes were higher. It’s fun to hear her offer her twist on the Migos vibe with her own crew, even working a bit of grime influence into it.
That doesn’t mean Pop 2 doesn’t have its share of straightforward pop songs, though.
The poignant ballad Lucky, seemingly built mostly out of manipulated versions of stacks of her voice, and the lush Tears, which could make a run on radio right now, are both moving and memorable, a side of good-time Charli we don’t get to see very often.
Pop 2 shows what could be possible if radio was less uptight and more willing to experiment, something Charli XCX has quickly mastered. – Glenn Gamboa/Newsday/ Tribune News Service
N.E.R.D
No One Ever Really Dies Sony
AMERICAN funk rock band N.E.R.D which consist of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shay Haley returns with its first album in seven years No One Ever Really Dies. How apt.
The long wait for the follow-up to 2010’s Nothing was truly worth it. The album kicks off with the furious lead single Lemon, a banging number featuring Rihanna on vocals.
It’s a politically-charged song touching on discrimination and other social issues. For once, try not to ignore the message
Lemon, Deep Down Body Thurst and Don’t Do It! (featuring rapper Kendrick Lamar) are some of the wonderful songs in this album that make you want to think about these issues.
If that feels too heavy for you, then check out Voila, an upbeat motivational number that is sure to put a smile on your face.
The innocence reverberating in this song is just ... magic. ESP isa hypnotic number that seemingly pokes fun of listeners who well, ignores the problems around them.
No One Ever Really Dies closes with the reggae electro-pop number Lifting You featuring Ed Sheeran, which is another winner. Welcome back, N.E.R.D. – Angelin Yeoh