Battles – Gloss Drop
In a sense, Battles is the double-aughts version of a progressive rock band, featuring virtuoso musicianship pretty much unheard of in indie rock circles. All that was missing were lyrics about gnomes and fairies and the ilk. Battles was a band that was looking backward as much as they were looking forward, and it all began to make a heck of a lot more sense to me under that reflective prism.

That brings us to the sophomore album and yes, I had to wonder where Battles would go from Mirrored. That record captured a particular style of post rock-cum-prog, and my fear was that there would be a temptation to repeat the formula and do the same thing twice. Happily, with Gloss Drop, this is not really the case, although the driving musicianship and some of the trademark whimsy of Mirrored shines through. Gloss Drop is not merely a sequel to Mirrored, it’s an album in its own right, one that incorporates world music on a somewhat prominent basis, and one that sees the band move more in a pop-oriented direction. Read the Full Review on Pop Matters

Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
[Suck It and See] takes as its starting point Humbug’s least representative track, Cornerstone, a sighing, richly melodic lament at odds with the lurching, Josh Homme-produced darkness evident elsewhere. The result is the first Arctic Monkeys album that tries to ensnare the listener with its tunes, rather than guitar riffs or Turner’s lyrics. Oddly, what its mid-tempo stew of thick basslines, feedback-laden guitar lines, churning chord progressions and thumping drums occasionally recalls – presumably unwittingly – is the ooh-look-at-the-cosh-boys Morrissey of the mid-90s, though anyone who feels their spirits understandably sinking at the mention of that particular juncture of Morrissey’s career should note that the contents of Suck It and See are noticeably tighter, lighter on their feet and infinitely more fun than anything on Southpaw Grammar. Read the full review on The Guardian UK

Tyler, The Creator – Goblin
There is no need to introduce this man at all. You should know his name, his crew, his height, his favourite food and, especially, the name of his enormously awaited sophomore album. He expects you to, because the first entry in his Goblin journal is detailed with a furiously direct account of the hurricane of Odd Future references that has consumed Twitter and every second webpage on the internet in the past few months. It’s as if Tyler is narrating his own career in a third-person perspective. At the forefront of an eerily hellish beat, he calls out his critics, attacks the nay-sayers and compiles all his angry tweets (they’re more like ticks really – he just says what he wants, when he wants) against ‘White America’ into the 6:49 he has assigned himself: “N****s getting offended/They don’t wanna fuck ‘cos I do not fuck with religion/Well see that’s my decision you fuckers don’t have to listen/Here, put this middle finger in your ear.” Read the track by track review on Hip Hop Isn’t Dead it’s just Sleeping.

When two or more creative personalities dissolve a partnership, the inevitable disparity of accomplishment between the former collaborators can be anything from slight to a gaping chasm. Consider Cheech & Chong. When the comedy duo parted ways, Cheech Marin’s success eclipsed Tommy Chong’s considerably.

Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari, a Famous Chonger

In the world of music, this phenomenon is all too common. Here are some unfortunate people who “Chonged” it.

Grant Hart

Hart was a vocalist and drummer for Husker Du. Hart composed about a third of the band’s songs, including many of their best. (Just listen to “Terms of Psychic Warfare.”) When the they split, the band’s other principle songwriter, Bob Mould, went on to achieve his greatest success with a new project, Sugar. These days, Mould’s a respected solo artist who released his ninth solo album to acclaim last year. Hart, on the other hand, has not fared as well. He was misdiagnosed as HIV positive following Husker Du’s break-up. He lived under that misapprehension for six months. His solo career, while producing some memorable and worthwhile albums, hasn’t come close to Mould’s prosperity.

Pete Wylie

Undoubtedly, many of those fortunate enough to have seen The Clash in their heyday were inspired to form bands of their own. The Crucial Three was one such band. They wouldn’t last long enough to record anything, but two of their members would go on to achieve fame and glory. Ian McCulloch formed Echo & The Bunnymen. Julian Cope would find his niche with Teardrop Explodes and as a solo artist. The other guy? Well, Pete Wylie was in a number of bands and, to be fair, he enjoyed a small degree of success. On the other hand, ever hear of Wah!? No? Didn’t think so.

Einar Örn Benediktsson

The Sugar Cubes were a sort of Icelandic B-52s, and their Fred Schneider was Einar Örn Benediktsson, an eccentric and charismatic co-frontman. The other singing Sugar Cube, Bjork, would go on to achieve massive international success and icon status.  Benediktsson kept a much lower profile following his band’s break-up, writing a bit here and there and releasing the occasional, obscure album.

Johnny Marr

Perhaps the most famous musician to Chong on this list, Johnny Marr was one-half of The Smiths songwriting team, a group that influenced and inspired generations. To this day they are one of the 80′s most beloved bands. Unfortunately,they fell apart after four albums. Morrissey went solo and had no trouble maintaining his legions of fans. As integral as Marr was, writing all the band’s music, he has not been able to parlay his credentials to nearly the same degree. As Morrissey continues to release high-profile albums and embark on prestigious tours, Marr’s greatest successes have been sporadic appearances on other artists albums and the occasional stint as a sideman in groups like Modest Mouse.

Andrew Ridgely

They may be nothing more than a punchline today, but Wham! were quite popular when they first hit the scene. The duo put out three multi-platinum albums in four years, no small feat. Frustrated with the teen-baiting corner they’d painted themselves into, George Michael dissolved the group and went solo, releasing one of the best-selling albums of all-time and cementing his status as pop-star-for-life. Ridgely tried his hand at racing before unsuccessfully attempting to relaunch his music career. These days, he golfs.

Rodan

KMD were no great triumph. The endearing hip-hop trio were beset by some terrible luck. For one thing, one of their members, Subroc, was killed during the production of their second album. Subsequently, their label deemed that album too offensive for release and shelved it. It would not see the light of day for another eight years, in an attempt to capitalize on the momentum of former-KMD member (and Subroc’s brother) Zev Love X’s success under his new alias, MF Doom. KMD’s other founding member, Rodan, hasn’t done anything more notable than a couple of under-the-radar releases and a handful of appearances on MF Doom albums.

We probably pay a bit too much attention to Morrissey on this site, but that’s because we love him. As many of you may know, he recently collapsed on-stage after performing just one song, “This Charming Man”. He’s been ill with what’s apparently some sort of respiratory problem. Morrissey’s been working hard the past few years, touring aggressively in support of a string of wonderful albums. Perhaps it’s all caught up with the fifty-year-old.

In tribute to our favorite melancholy crooner, here’s five great Morrissey songs. Get well soon, Moz!

(None of these songs are terribly obscure, but we also wanted to avoid anything too obvious. The most well known Morrissey songs, though they don’t appear here, are certainly among his best.)

1. “You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side” - The opening track for one of the man’s finest records, Your Arsenal, the track and album are a little more rocking than Morrissey one would expect Morrissey to be. (That’s not to say it’s rocking enough to bring new fans into the fold.)

2. “Sunny” - After Morrissey switched to RCA, EMI released this track as a single, hoping another label’s marketing push would send some dollars their way. It subsequently appeared on the terribly uneven My Early Burglary Years compilation. The track is a lovely little bit of Morrissey whimsy.

3. “Irish Blood, English Heart” - In the late 90′s, it seemed Morrissey had all but completely run out of steam. In 2004, he heralded a true return-to-form with You Are The Quarry, arguably the man’s best solo material to date. After spending nearly a decade as the de facto has-been press punching-bag, Morrissey proved he could still be great. This is a fine example of the caliber of that material.

4. “Reader Meet Author” - Even the worst Morrissey albums have decent tracks. Take this number from Southpaw Grammar, a misfire from 1995, and the only proper Morrissey album not to feature a picture of the man on the cover. (Is it a coincidence that it was also one his most poorly received?) This track is a highlight.

5. “We Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful” – Say what you will about Morrissey, the man loves reflective shirts. Another tune from Your Arsenal, this one finds Morrissey humorously reflecting on the way success seems to breed a certain kind of alienation.

Last night we held one of our semi-regular poker nights. It was attended by elder statesmen of the Pure Popperverse, the newest blood being myself and Mr. Michael Breiner (pictured on the far right) who have been in the Pure Pop employ for six years or so. We were joined by former employee Chris Miller (pictured on the far left), a fine man and card player.

Breiner, for the second time in a row, won the proceedings with some deft playing. It was a pretty close game for the most part, with just about everyone enjoying chip-leader status at some point. The great exception to that was yours truly (not pictured). I won all of two hands, played with cowardice and swore off playing poker ever again about a dozen times over the course of the night.

As you might imagine, we listened to quite a bit of great music over the course of the evening. The night was hosted by Tanner (pictured middle left), who’s digital music collection rivals any I’ve ever seen. Our other Michael (pictured middle right) treated us to a Neko Case-themed playlist that I initially resisted only to find myself enjoying thoroughly.

In situations like these, one hopes and can expect to hear something new. Some of the better stuff we heard that I was unfamiliar with included bands called The Assembly, The Records (who Breiner emphatically recommends) and the Flamin’ Groovies, a band I’ve grown to absolutely adore over the course of twenty-four hours.

We also delighted in many Pure Pop favorites, including Kate Bush, Nick Lowe, XTC, Wire, Morrissey and the like. A fine night, all things considered.

This one goes out to the legion of Morrissey fans out there – you know who you are. Big thanks to one of our favorite customers Jeff, for tipping us off to this little piece of nostalgic gold. Enjoy.

This weeks pop list asks and answers the question : Who are some of the greatest bands and artists and why do you hate them so much?

	10. Ani Difranco pros- uncompromising and empowering lyrics, prolific output, aggressive yet highly listenable music. cons- Angst-ridden and overwrought, Albums that sound the same, lyrics that seem to be inspired by a hormonally challenged teenager’s journal entries. see also: any artist with an acoustic guitar and a “‘Poetry for Dummies” book on their tour bus
	9. Ween pros- a chameleon-like ability to mimic countless genres and eras, Gene and Dean’s dynamic, hilarity. cons- silliness, novelty music isn’t music, a lack of earnestness. see also: They Might Be Giants, Dead Milkmen
	8. The Doors pros- Jim Morrison cons- Jim Morrison
	7. Morrissey pros- witty and intelligent lyrics, that indelible Morrissey croon, he was in The god-damn Smiths cons- overwrought lyrics, repeated focus on morbid or bleak themes, that excruciating Morrissey croon see also: The Cure, Joy Division etc
	6. Kimya Dawson pros- adorably sweet persona, personal and honest songwriting devoid of hubris, classic melodies and chord structures under-produced in contrast with modern overcooked production cons- a grating childlike affectation, half-baked songwriting, an apparent lack of any real talent
	5. John Cage pros- advanced conceptual and avant-garde music greatly, epitomized the “think outside the box” mentality cons- behind his concepts there’s little of substance, more interested in his legacy than his music see also: anything that sounds like a three year old playing a piano that your friend tells you is genius
	4. Yes pros- sophisticated compositions as influenced by classical music as rock, virtuosic musicianship cons- esoteric songwriting, overindulgence, pretentiousness, silly lyrics see also: any given prog rock band
	3. Kanye West pros- he’s produced dozens of great tracks for other artists, charismatic delivery, a gift for composing infectious songs that transcend the genre cons- a repulsively massive ego, vacuous lyrical content, 808′s & Heartbreaks see also: any MC with delusions of grandeur
	2. Metallica pros- Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, …and Justice for All cons- The Black Album, Load, Reload, St. Anger, Death Magnetic see also: any metal band that’s ever gone mainstream
	1. Phish pros- virtuosic musicianship, first-rate improvisation, an ability to bring something new to a song each time it is performed, a playfulness bands often lack cons- over-indulgent performances, tediousness, mediocre songwriting, annoying fans, interminably long songs, they’ve never put out a good studio album see also: Grateful Dead, every Jam band ever