Mono – Holy Ground: NYC Live
The band-plus-symphony live album is nothing new. Portishead did it in 1998, mixing Beth Gibbons’ lovely voice with the New York Philharmonic at the Roseland Ballroom. Metallica tried it in 1999, recruiting Michael Kamen to conduct the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for what is arguably the best performance in the back half of their catalog. But neither of these artists’ music is inherently symphonic to begin with. Sure, Metallica pinched whole phrases from Gustav Holst and regularly nipped other classical works for their early thrash, but their music never had anything more than the grand flow of symphonic strings, the thundering bombast of tympani.

Mono is one of the few bands overtly influenced by classical music to try the rock and symphony bit, and from the record we have with Holy Ground: NYC Live, the results are astonishing. Rather than simply reinterpreting their songs with a symphonic counterpart, the band allows the music to stretch and grow, filling the Society for Ethical Culture Hall with waves of guitar reverb pitted against the soft moan of cellos and violins. In this context, a song like “Pure as Snow” becomes a journey, an excursion much like the walk through the wintry woods depicted in Dimitri Galuret’s video for last year’s Hymn to the Immortal Wind track “Follow the Map.” Read the Full Review

Melissa Etheridge – Fearless Love
The first of 12 tracks is titled the same as the album, Fearless Love, and it has the fiery, fierce sound of many of her previous hits such as Yes I Am, Come to My Window, or I’m the Only One.

Her voice is as strong today as it was on her first album in 1988. The lyrics sound heartfelt, personal, and characteristically Etheridge. Fearless Love, Etheridge croons, “I want a fearless love/I won’t settle for anything else.”

The third song, Company, the next singles release contender, offers more reflective lyrics: And the stillness of the night reminds me that I don’t like to be alone/All I want is company/Someone to understand this misery/What is truth and what is fear/All I want is company.

We Are the Ones would also make a great single. The last song, Gently We Row, Etheridge sings thoughts of her daughter: And when I found me/I wrapped my arms ‘round my own daughter/And she fell into her own place and time. Read the Full Review

Hole – Nobody’s Daughter
Some time back in the early 1990s, I sat on a friend’s bed after school watching her claw holes into a pair of fishnet tights with the goal of getting them to look as artfully distressed as Courtney Love’s voice sounded. One of the sweetest-natured girls I’ve ever met – the kind who apologises to everybody who bumps into her – she was obsessed with Love’s angry grunge band, Hole. Love gave her a snarling, rebellious, conflicted feminist voice that she didn’t vent anywhere else in her straight-A life. The only time I remember her shouting was that afternoon, when her mum popped her head round the door, gestured toward the stereo and said “Goodness, she sounds cross!” “Cross??!!” yelled my friend, “Courtney Love isn’t cross! She’s…” there was a pause as courage for an expletive was gathered and lost “…really cross”. Read the Full Review

I worked at the Pop for close to two years (I think… those days are a bit hazy) back in 2003 to the summer of 2005. At the time, I was studying Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics at UVM as well as being the lone student tech in the Votey engineering machine shop. It was quite possibly the busiest period of my life; I was either studying or on the clock at one of my two jobs. I didn’t sleep much and I think I weighed a whopping 119 pounds when I graduated.

I felt like Christian Bale in The Machinist and Pure Pop was my Jennifer Jason Leigh, though I never flipped out and accused the Pop of sleeping with my imaginary arch enemy. But the Pop was the one place I could go and finally feel like I was getting to take a break. I don’t mean to imply that working at the Pop is not work, rather that it was always a great time and I was always surrounded by awesome people.

Every now and then, Michael would contract me to stay overnight and build new display racks or a small portable stage for an upcoming in-store performance. Ultimately, the stage completely lacked portability and it’s probably still in the boiler room taking up way too much space. In any case, the Pop gave me a very positive outlet for my sometimes completely unreasonable OCD and I found myself volunteering for back room duty a lot; filing back stock, organizing outdated merchandise and generally feeling like I was adding my own little bit of logical efficiency to the Pure Pop machine. (I wonder how the back room is looking these days, maybe I could pick up some hours…) Anyway, although I miss those days, fortunately I’ve found another positive outlet for my “attention to detail.”

I still live in Burlington and work at an amazing local company called SoundToys. We develop software based creative music production tools for use in any music/audio production environment. Check us out, we rock. (had to stick in one shameless plug). Most of my day consists of sitting at a computer writing code or analyzing vintage recording gear. I get a lot of time to put on a pair of headphones and rock out while I work, which brings us to the topic of my list: the top seven albums to geek out to while writing computer code.

The albums that work best tend to be on the instrumental side (or at least vocally sparse), a bit dark, and sometimes very repetitive. Ultimately, it’s all about that point when you stop listening to the music and begin feeling the music and you find yourself completely in the zone and all of sudden you realize that four hours have passed and one album has been on repeat the whole time. Now that’s what I call productivity.

Pink Floyd – Animals

This is normally reserved for lead off. It’s like running the test sequence in your shuttle before launching into outer space. It’s the unnerving calm before the storm. It lays the foundation for the skyscraper of work you have in front of you. When I hear this, I know I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.

Shpongle – Tales of the Inexpressible

Goa psy-trance at its best, done by Simon Posford and the Raja Ram himself. If I’m not feeling it already, at 4:05 into the second track, StarShpongled Banner, my mind takes over and I’m a goddamn horse with blinders on. All I see are 1s and 0s.

Boards of Canada – Music has the Right to Children

I’m not really sure what to say about this one, nothing I can say will really do it justice. Easily one of greatest electronic albums ever, I’d like to think most Pure Poppers and Poppettes are familiar, if not, do yourself (and the Pop) a favor and buy it (from the Pop).

Kinski – Airs above your Station

Listen to this cranked with headphones on. Great example of use of rhythmic tremolo. It makes my brain oscillate at an entirely new frequency, which feels great. You should try it sometime.

Kraftwerk – Autobahn

no speed limits here. just put it on and drive.

Portished – Dummy

Dark, brooding, beautiful. I almost consider this an instrumental album. I’ve listened to it hundreds of times and know almost none of the lyrics. Beth Gibbons’ voice makes me feel like I’m watching myself fall forever alongside a million blood red feathers. It’s a strange sensation and yet very conducive to getting serious work done. Plus it makes me feel like a secret agent, which is always a plus.

Telefon Tel Aviv – Fahrenheit Fair Enough

Talk about attention to detail. This album is so meticulously constructed, it’s absurd. Plus the production is impeccable, definitely a benchmark to strive for in electronic music production. It feels best right at the end of or even right after a long coding session. Sleep appears on the horizon, you can finally see it, and this album is there to shuttle you the rest of the way in. Sweet dreams.

The following albums are all classics that belong in any serious music fan’s collection. Another thing they have in common is that only the most hopeful among us expected them to be as good as they are. Join us, as we consider five albums no one expected to be good that came out great.

Bob Dylan – Time Out of Mind Prior to the release of this album, Bob Dylan may have been popular, but he hadn’t been relevant in nearly two decades. His catalog throughout the 80′s and 90′s is a laundry list of underwhelming mediocrity, championed by only his most die-hard fans. With the release of Time Out of Mind, Dylan re-established himself as a first-rate song-writer and lyricist. Not only did it measure up to the best of his other works, it was one of the best albums of the decade. Dylan, whose voice had degraded to frog-throated rasps, had never sounded so vital.

New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies Movement, the first release by New Order, did little to dissuade people who were skeptical that Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris would be able to escape the shadow of their former group, Joy Division. The demise of Ian Curtis seemed to herald the death of his former bandmate’s music careers. Indeed, Movement, despite its exceptional moments, sounds like an attempt to rehash the Joy Division sound. With Power, Corruption & Lies, New Order were truly born. All the hallmarks of their sound are fully in place, and the album included perhaps their most enduring song, Blue Monday. To many, it represents the band at their peak.

George Harrison – All Things Must Pass After the Beatles break-up was made public in tandem with the announcement of Paul McCartney’s first solo album, all eyes were on Paul and John. How would the members of the greatest song-writing partnership in history fare on their own? While that’s fascinating topic its own right, the biggest surprise in the Beatles solo output is Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Arguably the best of all Beatle solo records, ATMP is a double LP without an ounce of fat. Harrison delivered the best songs of his career in a single serving, a considerable accomplishment from a man who held his own in the company of the Lennon/McCartney colossus.

Portishead – Third Eleven years after their previous studio album and a decade after the genre of music they’d helped to define had become a memory, the idea of a new Portishead album was perplexing to say the least. Sure, it could have been a pleasant throw-back to days gone by, or a regrettable taint on a brief yet immaculate career, but Portishead defied expectation and delivered an instant classic. Without shedding the aesthetic that defined their sound, the band incorporated a variety of new influences and techniques to create a stunning, broad and cohesive piece of music that reminded us Portishead are, as they say, the shit.

Hank Williams III – Lovesick, Broke and Driftin’ Hank III’s first solo album, Risin’ Outlaw, was a huge disappointment to fans of the William’s Dynasty. Overproduced and undistinguished, it seemed as if the grandson of the legendary Hank Williams was capable of little more than exploiting his family name. With Lovesick, Broke and Driftin’, he made amends. True to the spirit of his grandfather, Hank III broke new ground and defined modern outlaw country music. Not only did he do right by his grandaddy, he cast a shadow over his father, Hank Williams Jr, whose music seems rather safe by comparison.

So here’s the final list. We tried to go with titles that we’re both amongst the best releases of the year and reflective of the discriminating Pure Pop clientele. Remember, next year the voting will be open to the public, and all Picks are currently on sale in the store!

1980. The Clash - London Calling While it came out in the UK in December of ’79, London Calling was released here the following year. A milestone album whose reputation only grows as the years go by, it’s a perfect album to kick off this list.

1981. Black Flag - Damaged Many albums from SST Records incomparable catalog were considered for this list (Husker Du’s Zen Arcade, Dinosaur Jr’s You’re Living All Over Me), but we ultimately had to go with this release from Black Flag. It’s a searing album whose principled tone would inspire legions of bands and individuals.

1982. Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights Released at a time when the critically-adored Thompson’s were struggling to sell albums and find record deals, Shoot Out the lights would serve as both a commercial peak and a swan song for the pair. The couple’s tumultuous relationship finally caved, leaving a wake of brilliant albums.

1983. U2 – War It’s hard to remember the band U2 were 25 years ago given their current output, but they were great. War embodies all the qualities the Irish quartet used to earn their legendary status and emerge as one of the biggest bands of the world.

1984. Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense This is the only live album on this list. 1984 was a rich year for fantastic albums. We had to pick this one over the stiff competition because of its enduring popularity amongst our staff and customers and the fact that it’s uniquely amazing.

1985. The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & the Lash This album is as great as Shane MacGowan’s teeth are revolting. Blending the immediacy and intensity of punk with traditional Celtic music, the Pogues made a number of great albums, creating a niche that would evolve into a genre.

1986. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead What do you get when you combine a musical visionary, a charismatic vocalist with a razor-sharp wit and insatiable addiction to morbid introspection and one of the greatest rhythm sections of all time?

1987. Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction Axel Rose is a big dick with delusions of grandeur, but it’s okay. Appetite for Destruction is the rock album of the 80′s. It’s a decadent, nihilistic and excessive tour de force. Lightning in a bottle.

1988. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation In stark contrast to this list’s previous entry, 1988 gives us Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation. A stunning collection of songs with incredibly inventive guitar arrangements. Anyone with any ambition to experiment with melody and distortion would do well to study this album carefully.

1989. Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique After establishing themselves as a tongue-in-cheek party band with Licence to Ill, the Beastie Boys reinvented themselves on their follow-up. Paul’s Boutique brought hip-hop production forward and established the Beastie Boys as one of the great groups of their generation.

1990. Depeche Mode – Violator A band so emotionally overwrought they make The Smiths sound like AC/DC shouldn’t be anywhere on this list, but Depeche Mode’s greatness can’t be denied. (Well, it can, but we won’t listen.) Nine tracks of warm analog synth greatness.

1991. Nirvana – Nevermind All of the albums featured here have had an impact, but there is something unique about popular culture’s love affair with Nirvana in the early 90′s. The trio became the centerpiece of the “grunge” movement but their musical legacy transcends genre associations.

1992. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted Whereas Nirvana had an immediate, broad impact on popular culture, Pavement’s influence would be gradual, helping to shape the aesthetic of the emerging “indie rock” genre. Today as then, listening to this album is an absolute revelation.

1993. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream The Pumpkins were a quartet, but this album was essentially performed by Billy Corgan save for drum support from virtuoso Jimmy Chamberlain. Produced by Butch Vig and engineered by the legendary Alan Moulder, this album is the sonic equivalent of honey & melted butter on toast.

1994. Portishead – Dummy Members of Portishead may scoff at the concept of trip-hop, but the genre had a lot of fans in the mid 90′s. This is due in no small part to the band’s debut masterwork. Immaculately crafted and produced, it’s hard to believe a mere three musicians put this together.

1995. Bjork - Post Oh Bjork Guðmundsdóttir.   your world-class vocals and aggressively avant-garde sensibilities. Any one of your first three albums could have been on this list. Post currently sells at Pure Pop for just under $7. There is no excuse not to own this one.

1996. DJ Shadow – Entroducing The only instrumental album on this list. With Entroducing, DJ Shadow showed us something we’d never heard before. Often imitated, never matched, Entroudcing hits most of the touchstones of the emotional palate over its all too brief 64 minutes.

1997. Radiohead - OK Computer Radiohead is one of the world’s most commercially successful and critically popular bands. OK Computer blew us all away when it came out, and it still does. Bold, broad and buoying, this album was an absolute shoe-in.

1998. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea ITAOTS didn’t make huge waves upon it’s initial release. In the decade since, it’s visibility has grown and its influence has become apparent. Warm, eccentric arrangements, superb deliveries of surreal lyrics. Unconventional, evocative, and highly moving.

1999. Beck - Midnite Vultures Mellow Gold and Odelay were the critical darlings, but Midnite Vultures was the party album of its time. Sounding like a coked-up Prince produced by James Brown, Midnite Vultures offers nonsensical anthem after nonsensical anthem before concluding with the falsetto masterpiece, “Debra”.

2000. Outkast - Stankonia Describing the pairing of Andre 3000 and Big Boi as formidable would be an understatement. After improving leaps and bounds with each of their first three albums, they found more room for growth with this dirty south opus.

2001. Daft Punk - Discovery An album with such longevity it would be nominated for a grammy in 2008, seven years after its release. Assembled from a vast array of samples, ingeniously rearranged and supplemented, Discovery brought the French House movement into the 21st century and further into the global spotlight.

2002. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Amid inner turmoil and trouble with their label, Wilco recorded Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, considered by many to be their finest album as well as one of the best albums. The documentary I am Trying to Break Your Heart offers a fascinating portrait of the circumstances of this album’s creation.

2003. My Morning Jacket It Still Moves The major-label debut from this Kentucky outfit propelled them to well-deserved greater heights. My Morning Jacket blend seemingly disparate influences, country and psychedelic for example, and create a unique and compelling style that still moves (har-har) people to this day.

2004. Arcade Fire Funeral The face of indie rock has changed since the 90′s. It is no longer a fringe genre but a mainstream phenomenon as represented by album’s like this superb release from Canada’s Arcade Fire. Fans of rich arrangements and charged emotion shant be disappointed.

2005. Gorillaz – Demon Days Fronted by Damon Alburn, who was making contenders for this list in the 90′s with his band Blur, Gorrillaz are a uniquely great band. Ostensibly made-up of cartoon characters (created by comic legend Jamie Hewlett), Gorrilaz expose most bands who’d claim to blend hip-hop with modern rock to shame.

2006. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain Hailing from Brooklyn, TV on the Radio all but monopolized critical acclaim in 2006 with Return to Cookie Mountain. It’s a testimony to this album’s appeal that Pure Pop was selling out of import copies in the weeks leading up to its release.

2007. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha Former Squirrel Nut Zipper Andrew Bird has been consistently great in his solo career as exemplified in this wonderful release. Baroque with a gritty edge, Armchair Apocrypha has a broader appeal than one might expect from something so eccentric.

2008. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes took the world by storm in 2008 with this breezy, lush and listful album. The perfect compliment to everything from a cold winter drive to a warm summer afternoon, this is an album that measures up to anything on this list.

1. The Breeders – Mountain Battles After 2002′s disappointing Title TK, no one was expecting much from The Breeders, so it came as a shock that their latest is great. This album stands shoulder to shoulder with the best of their earlier work and it towers over most contemporary indie rock. My enthusiasm for the album grows with each listen.

2. Various Artists – Titan: It’s All Pop! This Numero release compiles the entire output of Kansas CIty’s short-lived Titan label, which fruitlessly released great music from 1978-1981. Had Big Star been massively successful, more bands in the late 70′s would have sounded like those featured on this compilation. A treasure trove of lost power-pop gems, this is well worth the purchase.

3. The Final Solution – Brotherman Another Numero release, Brotherman was supposed to be released in 1975 in tandem with a film of the same name. Filming was never completed, and the album was shelved for over thirty years. The Final Solution were a Chicago soul group whose strongest assets were lush four-part harmonies and one of the best rhythm guitarists I’ve ever heard. It’s a shame this is their only release.

4. Steve Malkmus & The Jicks – Real Emotional Trash I’m pretty much a Malkmus sycophant, so I’m not going to say too much about this one to avoid sounding like a fifteen-year-old describing Twilight. RET sounds more like Pig Lib than it sounds like its immediate predecessor and that’s a good thing. A wonderful album by a national treasure.

5. Portishead – Third As one of the pioneers of a genre whose time has gone, Portishead has proved themselves capable of adapting to the evolving musical landscape with the realease of Third, the third album of their career and first in ten years. Third sounds like a Portishead album without sounding dated. I didn’t see it coming, and I am surely grateful for this expertly-produced set of stunning songs.

Honorable Mentions:

Lindstrom – Where You Go I Go Too

Genesis – 1970-1975

Robyn Hitchcock – Luminous Groove