Crayon - Bar Bar Bar

Don't ask me what the hell Bar Bar Bar is supposed to mean. Nothing, I'd bet, based on the overall gonzo-ness of this song. It should be called Jumping, since that's what the girls sing and do over and over again in the bizarrely addictive music video. Crayon Pop are a newer K-Pop girl group that seem to be going for a slightly quirkier, sillier pop sound than most of their contemporaries. With this song, it totally works. It's one of those kind of tracks you can sing along to even before the first listen is over. Ridiculously addictive. I dare you not to succumb to its charms!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the song here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Emblem3 - Spaghetti

"Everything's gonna be alright"

Even though I sometimes liked them/sometimes didn't on the last season of US X-Factor, I've been rooting for Emblem3 to do well post show. That's partly because the show desperately needs someone to be successful, and partly because their debut single Chloe has quietly sneaked up to become one of my favorite songs of the summer. And on first listen, the album seems to be more of the same. There's something very late 90's about these guys. It's like a little bit of Sugar Ray, a little bit of LFO and of course a fair amount of teen pop. It's refreshing in that it doesn't sound much like what other groups are doing right now. For the next single, I'd vote for Spaghetti. It has such a carefree, backyard BBQ feel to it.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

One Direction - Best Song Ever

"Said her name was Georgia Rose"

I told myself I wasn't going to write about this song, especially since everyone and their mother already has. But then I saw the music video, and realized that I have something to say. Moments like this are really exciting for pop music lovers. Any popstar/group worth their salt has a few moments worth noting in their career. First is the breakthrough single or album, but even more critical than that is the one song or moment in which the singer/group bumps it up a notch and cements their place in pop history. There's very little I find more exciting in music than this. I'm thinking moments like Rihanna's Umbrella, Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, Backstreet Boys' I Want It That Way, Michael Jackson's Billie Jean, Nsync's Bye Bye Bye, and Lady Gaga's Bad Romance, to name only a few. The very best artists have these moments several times, throughout the course of a decade or more. The point is, I think this is One Direction's such moment. It's not only to do with the song (which is fantastic bubblegum pop/rock), but also the excellent video where the guys show off surprisingly skilled and funny acting chops. You all know I'm not embarrassed to like anything, whether it's pitched at 13 year olds or 80 year olds. And I'm certainly not embarrassed to say that this is very, very fun. I'll embed the full video so you can judge for yourself.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.