Something new from pops new boy wonder ,former Rascal and Last Shadow Puppeteer Kane trawls through pops back pages to define the sound of NOW!.
Brit pop arrogance with Bolan esque flirtations and a smattering of David Essex combine to forge a great fresh poppy sound that will undoubtedly have a limited shelf life but for the rest of the summer this will be the album to have

Synth-Pop candy. Starts out with strummed clean-tone electric guitar, then the electronic beats come in w/ Amy singing in her languid way. The chorus brings Dan in answering her back. It's one of the best songs on The Cover Up, which was their break-up record. Really good contrast of drama-laden lyrics and happy pop.

A delightfully poppy cover of Elvis's Don't Be Cruel. Although it is undeniably an 80s tune, it's not dated at all. Just a fun song to sing along to, and a great cover.

This song is absolutely full of class and confidence - over 8 minutes long, and over a minute at the start is without drums or bass, just to get you into the groove. Then, they don't pull out the best tunes straight away - instead, they build up to them gradually with variations on the theme before building into a bigger and bigger climax. The tunes are as simple as you expect from Kraftwerk - the confidence to just hold a single note for 8 beats without changing is just fantastic - but the cumulative effect is brilliant.

The song is both hypnotic and euphoric and I can't recommend it too highly. When I looked at the iTunes stats as to what songs I had listened to the most, it turned out I had listened to this a heroic four times as much as any other song.

This song has clearly been hugely influential on groups like depeche mode and new order, and yet it somehow sounds quite separate from the things it has influenced. For example, just can't get enough by Depeche Mode is clearly influenced by this, but Europe Endless is much less poppy and commercial.

This whole album is fantastic - there is a kind of sister song to this one later on the album called Franz Schubert.

Much like Miss Kittin or Adult., Crossover are convincing that minimal neo-new-wave-electro can revitalize the underground with a self consciousness and dry delivery of vocals.

A solo single from a member of Japanese space rock collective Acid Mothers Temple. For them she plays Synthesiser (a nice old Roland) Cigarettes and Beer. On this she also sings.
Its a strange sounding thing, theres no bass or even much lower mid range. Echo'd synthesiser, a very old sounding drum box, and vocals all occupying the same accoustic space to very psychedelic effect. But yet, very poppy, the vocals stay with you for ages.
Lovely stuff.

"this is so real, it's what i feel. i look in your eyes and lose myself" this song is a great dream-poppy ditty about someone falling in love with falling in love... which is kind of cheesy in a sense... but Lush just does it so amazingly. I really like how this band really embraces their girly-ness and doesn't try to act like their trying to keep up with the boys as many female-led bands from their era were doing. the background vocals are amazingly beautiful as are the guitar solos. There's a nice, lush, romantic feeling received from listening to this song. the imagery from the aforementioned lyric is very nice as well.

no one can resist the poppy sounds of the beautiful Ben Kweller.

This song opens with the great line: "I don't stand a chance in this fucked up world..."

A lovely, soulful, poppy dance song. I've never understood why a band like Saint Etienne aren't serious chart contenders. They make intelligent pop music, have great tunes, have a beautiful lead singer with an amazing voice. And yet "the kids" prefer manufactured acts like Kylie Minogue. (sigh). The Saints have released so many brilliant pop songs, but this is my favourite.

This is a great poppy song. Its got neat backup tunes.

Trivia: Jason Schwartzman's (Rushmore/Phantom Planet) younger brother.

Unbelievably catchy, the most poppy song REM ever did and has to be one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. Period

Sweet lyrics about a teenage crush, with spiky bursts of guitars. Quite lovely.

Don't let the name throw you, this is an excellent french song. It's alternative a bit poppy but a punk feel too. and great lyrics for those french speakers. Post-grunge era song, something like a female french radiohead. Somewhat.

I saw a video of this a couple times on MTV and never forgot it. I finally caught up with the album "Meet Danny Wilson" years later, in a used bin. None of the three members are named Danny Wilson; it's named after a Frank Sinatra movie. They dress like Sinatra fans as well, and the music's influenced by that era, but it's pure new-wavy piano pop. Reminds me of Joe Jackson, but softer, more romantic. "Lorraine Parade", "Nothing Ever Goes To Plan", and "Steamtrains To The Milky Way" are also album highlights.

"Mirage" was the first single taken from Siouxsie & the Banshees' first album, 1978's The Scream, and while it's not as uncharacteristically poppy as the group's debut 7", "Hong Kong Garden," it's still about as close to accessible as the group got in the early days. A tightly wound song built on John McKay's slashing, distorted guitar and a pounding, prominent drumbeat (the sort of near-tribal galloping beat that Kenny Morris' replacement, Budgie, would do much better on later singles like "Spellbound" and "Fireworks"; Morris simply wasn't good enough a drummer to impart the kind of urgency this song requires), "Mirage" builds a forward momentum underneath Siouxsie Sioux's yowling vocals, which obscure bassist Steve Severin's lyrics to the point that only occasional words and phrases are decipherable.
(AMG)

Perfect poppy '60s record, both accessible and arty: Jimmy Webb collides with Brian Wilson and Bacharach, gorgeously arranged for members of the Nashville Philharmonic.

It took me a while to get a copy of this album as even the out-of-print re-issue on Crippled Dick Hot Wax (that's the name of the label, folks. Promise!) sells for a bit these days. I'm glad I got it as it's a fantastic album - the only LP released by the 5 Filipino/American sister vocal group, although I think they released at least one 45". Discovered by George Duke, he wrote the arrangements and his trio of the time provides backing. The album was recorded in Germany (released by MPS) and is a little bit poppy, a little bit jazzy, a little bit funky. There are a number of songs which could be recommended (a number of them jazz standards, such as 'Maiden Voyage' and 'Cantaloupe Island'), but the one I've chosen is 'Niki'. I hadn't come across this track before getting the album, unlike a few of the other tracks which have turned up on compilations over the years.

'Niki' is a song that builds. It starts off fairly casually and builds up to a swinging chorus, accented by some very hip playing by George Duke, still on an acoustic piano during this stage of his career.

Another commendable and notable track on the album, and which I discovered through a compilation created by 'mine host' of Musical Taste, Senhor Delicado, is "Waves Lament". Absolutely fantastic.

Poppy Rocky Indie. This song is kind of funny but also kind of sad. Power-pop instrumentation with lots of harmonies. Great lyrics and melody, very cool arrangement.

upbeat, poppy, and fun. i love that it's upbeat and fun. the synthesizer is really unique and adds a nice touch.

Satanist surf rock! (or a reasonable facsimile of that would sound like, anyway.)
From the land of polar bears and fjords
comes this insanely massive-sounding piece of black metal with a heavy dose of Dick Dale influences. It's quite poppy for a black metal tune, if you can see past the growling. I have to admit I've never actually listened too closely to the lyrics, i'm sure they're very misantrophic and gloomy and all, but this song feels very uplifting to me somehow. same thing as with Primal Scream's Detroit and Ennio Morricone's Magic and Extacy, i guess.
the synth effects round it out nicely, the guitars are fast and furious, and you got to love that drumming.


(One of these days I'm gonna have to make a mixtape with the world's most glaringly insane shifts of tone from one song to the next. This will fit nicely in between Dean Martin and Jean Jaques Perrey...)

The sound is poppy, resembling a more mature 1960s sound than their earlier songs.

Great Lost Punk Single #2

This is a really good poppy, punky love song. Like a butch-er version of the Undertones, or a more cheerful Pistols. Much like the Undertones in fact - also from Northern Ireland, but with not as many great songs. But this one is fantatic.

it's catchy without being too cute. poppy emo punk. lyrics concern trying to figure out why a lover left you for another--great lyrics.

i love this psyche sounding classic. the backing track vocals compliment one another perfectly. i love the strings in this song. a little poppy but rocking.

Upbeat, poppy, piano-driven

Wow! What a song! It starts off with the mock ice-cream jingle then Billy And The Guys craft a brilliant song. But dont be fulled with the lyric "Today Is The Greatest Day Of My Life" it seems to be upbeat and poppy but it has some dark lyrics

A great song, used in the sony bravia ad.
a poppy feel but still guitar driven with a great riff. Great feel to it, good new stuff.

#1 on UK charts

Overproduced 1969 hit. But under the strings and horns is a good song and an excellent group vocal harmony performance.

This is a really catchy and funny pop song. Dr. Frank is a masterful songwriter and this is among his finest efforts.

Great great cover of the Tom Tom Club song, and the highlight from Chicks On Speeds recent 99c album. Weighing in at almost 7 minutes, this is a great slab of electronica. Yes, ironic, yes, self referential, but here they totally excell their art school roots. Plinky plonky melody makes me think of the song 'Popcorn', and the nonsense chorus is like the poppier end of 60's girls with a dose of the Actionettes. Way too cool!

Absolute beauty. A soulful chastisement about not winning, not breaking even, and not getting out of the game. Vocals as pure as morphine from the poppy, and just as hedonistically addictive.

This stunning Southern soul platter features virtuoso brass and drums, as well as what is possibly the only acceptable squealing electric guitar riff in recorded music.

I love this song so damn much.