Pop

Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, Destiny’s Child, Elton John

KIDS: Summer Frights EP

Assuming that most readers here are music lovers, then at some point you must have started, dabbled or thought about starting your own band. Some make it, a few start and soon after lose interest, while others actually become good at what they do and stick around a bit. Summer Frights from KIDS is one band that has stuck around. All of the members are under 20 and even though there's still room for growth; there's already plenty potential brewing from their pot. The album contains fresh and unpretentious original tracks along with one very lovely cover of the Ronettes track, Be My Baby.

The Juliets: The Juliets

Led by Jeremy Freer who plays piano and guitar, The Juliets are a mix of chamber pop and brit pop with a good dose of soul. Their self titled debut features beautiful string work by Sarah Myers (violins) and Kaylan Mitchell (Cello). The combination of Jeremy's piano and vocals with the strings makes for a sweet pop music that will make you want to dance. The production is tight but there isn't a lot of noodling with the sound. You can hear the waver of the strings and the vocals are left pretty natural.� The Juliets call Ypsilanti MI. their home.

Diner House: Selections from the Diner House Family Bands

Not much is offered online about this project except for the fact that it's the first installation in a compilation and features some really beautiful songs from talented artists. Composed of 10 selections from amazing artists, Selections from the Diner House Family Bands, is a tasty sandwich of punk, alternative, folk, and acoustic that offer up a real treat. It offers music from bands such as Wood Spider, Whale, Whale, Whale, Michael Ditrio, Hyena, and The Rotten Jazz Quartet among many others.

Ghastly Menace: Pitcairn

Although indie bands are abundant these days, occasionally you'll find a group that deserves all the hype they're getting. Ghastly Menace is one of these groups. Composed of Andrew Schroeder and Christopher Geick (formerly of They Found Me, They Named Me;) the duo set their sights in creating a wonderfully melodic and entertainingly sweet indie pop band. Pitcairn is their first EP. It contains 5 songs that clock in at less than 3 minutes each but filled with some gorgeous and catchy beats that makes you want to leave it on loop for a long time.

Fola: Go

Singer/songwriter Fola is ready to take over your playlists with pure flavor. In his latest mixtape Go, the young Londoner devours on unlimited dosages of pop, soul, and r&b. Set to make his mark on the music scene, Fola started crafting his music at the young aged of 11 by joining talent competitions around London. In 2007, he entered in the tv show The X-Factor and toured with Grammy Award nominated singer Josh Groban for his Awake UK Tour. Since then, Fola has been working with talented producers, songwriters and vocal arrangers including Maleek Berry, DDark, J Warner, Davidb, and SOS to name a few.

POPCULT: POPCULT EP

Once in a while , you come across a band that you just know has that special sound that could make it big if given the right amount of exposure. Popcult is one such band. This four piece crew is comprised of Justin Renaud, Tyler Venter, Alex Halvorson and Brandon Proff. Discreetly titled, 2011, this is the first EP for the group and they're offering it for free in exchange for an email address. It's a pretty good deal since you get a great set of polished indie pop rock tracks that's charming and easy to listen to.

Manther: Manther

Is there anything better than old school beats transformed into modern day awesomeness? Yes, some of the tracks on this one great release might take you straight back to the 80s, but believe me, in some strange way Manther has done an outstanding job in bringing the funky sounds all the way to 21st century. The group composed of Erich McVey, Mitch Morris and Kevan Hanson, has created its own world "where neon is the new black, tank tops are formal wear, and flip up sunglasses are standard issue," so of course we are more than happy to have them here!

Evan Uhlmann: Blue Lipstick

Evan Uhlmann has a knack for creating fun pop songs, complete with cheeky lyrics and a catchy melody. It's the type of songs you won't mind playing even if you aren't big on pop music at all. Born in Chicago, Uhlmann now calls New York City his home. While studying in Wales, he was under the tutelage of Ray Davies, among the founding members of the British band, The Kinks. Just last year in September, he released his first debut record and called it, Blue Lipstick. Combining pop with acoustic indie rock guitar work, the record contains songs that are playful and with good composition.

Corrigan: ’94 and Before

Corrigan is a Brighton, UK based band that delivers a host of uptempo power pop tracks in the vein of bands like Boys Like Girls and The Getup Kids. The group does its best to deliver an enjoyable pop punk album that swirls with guitars, fast drumming, whiny singing and catchy melodies. '94 and Before is a set of 11 tracks released for free over at Death to False Hope Record. This is the debut record for the band and it looks like they have a bright future ahead of them.