Hey Gang, Happy Friday! Here’s a helping of music for you to check out.
I also got a heads up about a site that keeps an updated and thorough list of the Top 100 Trending Song of 2016. Check it out when you get a chance!
Thanks to BBGUN Press, I had the pleasure of attending the screening of the new documentary Soul Boys of The Western World Screening last night at the IFC Center. It follows the life of the band Spandau Ballet – one of the first new romantic/new wave bands of the 1980s.
When Warner Brothers Records PR hooked me up with a ticket and photo pass to the Big Data show I was totally psyched! I posted about them in July so I already knew I liked their music. But now I was going to see them live, at a sold out show, opening for Fitz and the Tantrums.
If Llana Del Rey is the Queen of Darkness and Robyn is the European Queen of Ice, Lights is the Princess of Day! As soon as Lights was onstage at Hard Rock Cafe (I didn’t realize they had a nice stage) it was “Muscle Memory” and we got energized. Next, there was “Running with the Boys” and right after Lights told us “That’s the first time I’ve heard people singing along to one of my songs.” I can see why they’re doing it. Her music is bubbly synth dance pop that makes you feel good. It’s like a happy combination of Llana Del Rey, Robyn, Ellie Goulding and cool synth pop/rock with a touch of M83. Lights’ wide toothy smile, while reminding me of a Disney TV star, is also… well, friendly and charming. And her performance tonight was done with love. And that always means something. You can’t help but like her.
*Be sure to check out my photos at the end of the review…
I just found out that M83, Com Truise, College and the soundtrack to 2011’s movie Drive, isn’t the only dreamy retro 80s sythpop around! There’s a whole new genre out that’s sprung up! This relatively new genre of music is called, as far as I can tell, “80s New Wave Revival” or “80s SynthPop” or “80s Revival”. I just made the realization about this musical movement whilst exploring youtube (or course!) and ended up discovering NewRetroWave. It’s a youtube channel that hosts all these “Retro New Wave” bands.