MathOfInsects Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Inspired by the latest, "Current pop music is not as good as 'our' music and here is a study that claims to prove it" thread, this is a thread to post examples of good current pop songs. It's not really meant to be a place to debate what is good, just a receptacle for tunes you think represent the best of the current offerings. In the aggregate, these songs might counter-balance the prevailing sense many here have that the last good pop tune was recorded in 1973, and perhaps the thread could even provide an archive for performers looking for suggestions for new tunes to incorporate. Or maybe it will be a one-post wonder and result in my long overdue banning. I would personally find it interesting if you included a word or two about what stands out for you in the song you're posting, so that even the least-inclined to listen to pop, might have something to listen for. I will start with a song I mentioned in that latest thread. This is brand new from Panic! At the Disco, called "Say Amen." This is a song that could really only exist in the current age, as the extensive sampling, layering, and editing of the backing track makes clear. Yet it's still an old-fashioned party-anthem opera with many color changes throughout, and a catchy-ass Bridge/C Section that reminds me of Queen in their heyday. I dare you not to walk around with the "ah pi ta ah pi ta" intro in your head after hearing this. [video:youtube] Your turn... Quote Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material. www.joshweinstein.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 this is a thread to post examples of good current pop songs. It's not really meant to be a place to debate what is good, just a receptacle for tunes you think represent the best of the current offerings. Your turn... Josh I did listen to the song you posted. I myself have nothing to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 My favorite modern pop song: [video:youtube] Quote Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 I have a soft spot for dancehall reggae - I really liked Sia's "Cheap Thrills" (with the Sean Paul feature) before it got played to death. Whenever this tune comes on the radio it always catches my attention, so I guess that's a good thing: [video:youtube] Being in a function/top 40 band, I try to stay on top of things but the past couple of years there hasn't been much that seems to have the sticking power to make it worth learning and integrate into our sets. By the time we learn a tune and figure out where to put it in our sets, we've missed the window of opportunity on that song. The exception is Bruno Mars - "Uptown Funk" & "24K Magic" still work. Quote My Site Nord Electro 5D, Novation Launchkey 61, Logic Pro X, Mainstage 3, lots of plugins, fingers, pencil, paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Quinn Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 At this point in life I'm a bit of a pop ignoramus. I kind of got burnt out playing a lot of pop in the 80's and 90's. But, nowadays I get exposed to a fair amount of current pop though my late-20's daughter. A lot of it sounds good to me. I particularly like Sara Bareilles. [video:youtube]Q8e5VTlzXgU Quote https://alquinn.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Mullins Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 I'm making the leap that "pop" doesn't necessarily mean popular New Pornographers - Play Money Why: Nice combination of jangly upbeat guitar rock with interesting melody. (and of course Neko Case.) [video:youtube] St. Vincent - Masseduction Why: prince meets eurythmics - what's not to like? [video:youtube] They Might Be Giants - Let's Get This Over With Why: After being a fan years ago, then not paying much attention the last ten years, I went and saw them in Milwaukee...and well, they just make me happy! [video:youtube] Quote Yamaha CK88, Arturia Keylab 61 MkII, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Mac Logic/Mainstage, iPad Camelot, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2, JBL EON One Compact www.stickmanor.com There's a thin white line between fear and fury - Stickman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Clark Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Not a lot of terrestrial stuff I dig right now besides maybe Bruno Mars. But Daniel Caesar and H.E.R are on their way up, so I'll post that. [video:youtube] [video:youtube] Quote Soul, R&B, Pop from Los Angeles http://philipclark.com Cannonball Gerald Albright Signature Alto, Yamaha YC73, Fender Rhodes, Roland Juno-106, Yamaha MX61, Roland VR-09, MicroKorg XL, Maschine Mikro, Yamaha Reface CP, Roland MKS-50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Thanks all for posting here. Some comments upon listening to these: - I couldn't listen to the Maren Morris track. Reason: autotune. Every damn syllable polished to gleaming unreality. I'm not so naive to think that pitch correction isn't ubiquitous, but it's laid on far too thick in this track - St Vincent - hooray, some pitch imperfections in the performance! Although I would have said the track is the offspring of Prince and Kraftwerk. - I've always liked Sarah Bareilles, probably because she's working within an older tradition. - I was worried that The New Pornographers would let their guard down with that Axis of Awesome chord sequence. But no, it's vi, IV, I and then the IV again! My turn to let you shoot me down. Here's a track that I'm finding intriguing. I could live without the affectations on the vocal performance, but the lyrics catch me thinking about stuff I don't normally think about, which I guess qualifies as a win. Sigrid, "High Five": [video:youtube] Cheers, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 I'm not much into pop, and even less into "vocal acrobatics", but I appreciate talent doing live stuff. This woman is an amazing vocalist (as is her partner Clark Beckham from one of them). All of these are live, with obvious production differences between the vids.. [video:youtube] [video:youtube] [video:youtube] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Mullins Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 - I was worried that The New Pornographers would let their guard down with that Axis of Awesome chord sequence. But no, it's vi, IV, I and then the IV again! Sigrid, "High Five": [video:youtube] I like it...wish they would play this at the gym instead of the far inferior songs in a similar style...where the blunt use of repetition borders on Geneva convention violations. (Oh well, that's why I invested in a good pair of closed ear noise-cancelling headphones.) Quote Yamaha CK88, Arturia Keylab 61 MkII, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Mac Logic/Mainstage, iPad Camelot, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2, JBL EON One Compact www.stickmanor.com There's a thin white line between fear and fury - Stickman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatricklov Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 My current fav is Sober Up by AJR, which is not really about drinking... [video:youtube] Quote MainStage; Hammond SK1-73; Roland XP-80, JV-90, JV-1080, JV-1010, AX-1; Korg microSAMPLER; Boss DR-880; Beat Buddy; Neo Instruments Ventilator; TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Right now is sort of awkward. There seems to be a lot mid tempo getting airplay. We monitor downloads stats on iTunes and something else .... not sure what. I don't care I just play what I'm told. The two girl vocalist are our target market. I trust their judgment. Lately we have thrown a few oldies into the rotation to break up things a little bit. Our crowds seem to like that also. Shoop, the old House of Pain Jump Around, Hella Good, Just a Girl. But we are still 85+% current. Things just have not been real dance friendly lately. That said it isn't as bad as a lot of old dudes think. Dance tune BPMs have dropped a lot. Young girls like to grind. A lot of stuff is in the 86-96 bpm range. My favorite stuff tends to be sound and timbre related. I've learned a lot about modern synthesis since I started this Pop band. One of my favorites is no longer current. It was Titanium. It was a combination of velocity trigger trick and side chain compression. It took me 2 weeks and some help from Qui to get close. I am not a stickler for patch accuracy if I think I can do something cooler but copping out because you can't do it sucks. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Lobo Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 My favorite modern pop song: [video:youtube] I enjoyed that very much. I confess I didn't watch/listen to the whole thing. Quote These are only my opinions, not supported by any actual knowledge, experience, or expertise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 I watch The Voice and every once in a while someone will do a "new" song and I'll be like, hey, this is kinda cool, I need to check it out. Then I do, and it's like ten years old. This one was originally done only eight years ago. [video:youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZWkGKNbdRE Quote "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxcvbnm098 Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Right now is sort of awkward. There seems to be a lot mid tempo getting airplay. We monitor downloads stats on iTunes and something else .... not sure what. I don't care I just play what I'm told. The two girl vocalist are our target market. I trust their judgment. Lately we have thrown a few oldies into the rotation to break up things a little bit. Our crowds seem to like that also. Shoop, the old House of Pain Jump Around, Hella Good, Just a Girl. But we are still 85+% current. Things just have not been real dance friendly lately. That said it isn't as bad as a lot of old dudes think. Dance tune BPMs have dropped a lot. Young girls like to grind. A lot of stuff is in the 86-96 bpm range. My favorite stuff tends to be sound and timbre related. I've learned a lot about modern synthesis since I started this Pop band. One of my favorites is no longer current. It was Titanium. It was a combination of velocity trigger trick and side chain compression. It took me 2 weeks and some help from Qui to get close. I am not a stickler for patch accuracy if I think I can do something cooler but copping out because you can't do it sucks. What's Qui?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Clark Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 [video:youtube] Quote Soul, R&B, Pop from Los Angeles http://philipclark.com Cannonball Gerald Albright Signature Alto, Yamaha YC73, Fender Rhodes, Roland Juno-106, Yamaha MX61, Roland VR-09, MicroKorg XL, Maschine Mikro, Yamaha Reface CP, Roland MKS-50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathOfInsects Posted May 30, 2018 Author Share Posted May 30, 2018 Halsey is quickly becoming a favorite around our house. Here she is channeling Amy Winehouse channeling Diana Ross. [video:youtube] Quote Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material. www.joshweinstein.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursers Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 Thanks to my kids, I've been put onto Twenty-One Pilots - they've had some great songs but this is a fave: [video:youtube] Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Williams Posted May 30, 2018 Share Posted May 30, 2018 My favorite modern pop song:<10 hours of nothing> I enjoyed that very much. I confess I didn't watch/listen to the whole thing. Hmm. I'd like to work up a cover of that. The splits and layers seem straightforward enough, even on my AX-Synth. I was worried about getting from the lead break to the second pre-chorus, but then I realized I could do the whole thing accurately (and in-tempo) by performing John Cage's 4'33" 131.86813 times in a row. Quote -Tom Williams {First Name} {at} AirNetworking {dot} com PC4-7, PX-5S, AX-Edge, PC361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathOfInsects Posted May 31, 2018 Author Share Posted May 31, 2018 Thanks to my kids, I've been put onto Twenty-One Pilots - they've had some great songs but this is a fave: [video:youtube] Love that 'group.' Thanks for posting. Quote Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material. www.joshweinstein.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Music Bird Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 Im not a fan of much modern pop music, but some of it sticks out. 24K Magic. Thats not autotune thats a talk box. Walk The Moon - Ghostbusters. Nice remake of a classic. Psy - New Face, I like asian pop better than most American pop Some Tamil song. At least its a live band. Indonesian dangdut music. From the look of it, the keyboards are Yamaha PSRs, still good though. Be careful, the lyrics are a bit sexually explicit. Quote Yamaha MX49, Casio SK1/WK-7600, Korg Minilogue, Alesis SR-16, Casio CT-X3000, FL Studio, many VSTs, percussion, woodwinds, strings, and sound effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MojoGuyPan Posted May 31, 2018 Share Posted May 31, 2018 Some tight synth work here. I think Taysty and Trademarx use of the DSI P12 and FM is excellent, almost sounds like a VST with warmth. [video:youtube] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathOfInsects Posted June 1, 2018 Author Share Posted June 1, 2018 Charlie Puth seems to be making a move to differentiate himself from the rest of his cohort (Sean Mendes, Ed Sheeran) by moving over into soul and funk. This is a throwback lite-funk tune that has some yacht-rock pedigree crossed with Jamiroquai. I've been enjoying him lately. [video:youtube] Quote Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material. www.joshweinstein.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyRude Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 This is already old, but heard it for the first time yesterday taking a spin around Sirius. Pop stuff with lots of keys. Foster the People. [video:youtube] Quote Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands Tommy Rude Soundcloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyRude Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Here is some music to fear, from a group with a healthy, well rounded lead singer. Starcrawler. [video:youtube] Quote Some music I've recorded and played over the years with a few different bands Tommy Rude Soundcloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoken6 Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Psy - New Face, I like asian pop better than most American pop Thanks for posting Psy. I get the intriguing impression that he's deadly serious about not taking himself too seriously. I kind of dig that attitude. Cheers, Mike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Simons Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Here is some music to fear, from a group with a healthy, well rounded lead singer. Starcrawler. I wanted to like it, lol. I do think the heavily effected guitar tracks sound very cool. Quote Yamaha P515 & CK88, Pianoteq, Mainstage, iOS, assorted other stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoLights Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Nice fusion of pop and jazz: Quote _______________________________________________ Kurzweil PC4; Yamaha P515; EV ZXA1s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CEB Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 Right now is sort of awkward. There seems to be a lot mid tempo getting airplay. We monitor downloads stats on iTunes and something else .... not sure what. I don't care I just play what I'm told. The two girl vocalist are our target market. I trust their judgment. Lately we have thrown a few oldies into the rotation to break up things a little bit. Our crowds seem to like that also. Shoop, the old House of Pain Jump Around, Hella Good, Just a Girl. But we are still 85+% current. Things just have not been real dance friendly lately. That said it isn't as bad as a lot of old dudes think. Dance tune BPMs have dropped a lot. Young girls like to grind. A lot of stuff is in the 86-96 bpm range. My favorite stuff tends to be sound and timbre related. I've learned a lot about modern synthesis since I started this Pop band. One of my favorites is no longer current. It was Titanium. It was a combination of velocity trigger trick and side chain compression. It took me 2 weeks and some help from Qui to get close. I am not a stickler for patch accuracy if I think I can do something cooler but copping out because you can't do it sucks. What's Qui?? Qui Robinez. I learned side chaining from his Kronos side chain tutorial. Quote "It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne "A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!! So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poserp Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 I like that funk/soul are making a real comeback, sonically speaking. There was a long dry spell where the rhythms and sounds were just wrong, then people tried too hard to do "throwback". I hear a lot of the dance music I heard in clubs a decade or so ago coming into the fore in modern pop music, so to my ears it's a bit "dated" and watered-down. Adele, Bruno Mars, and a few others (including a couple in this thread) are kool. Learned about Afrikan Boy on some NPR radio show, he's got the goods IMO in lots of ways: [video:youtube]4ovtBmhw3M8 Most of his stuff is nice. While the new JT with Pharrell ain't my thing, he did this bit of heat with Missy Elliot a couple years back. Mix it with that Afrikan Boy track for max party: [video:youtube]PluAF_sxXWY Black Eyed Peas had a time where they didn't do things I liked, then they came with "Street Livin'", which they also performed live with an actual (well, mostly, drummer had a sample or two on pads) band on Colbert [they've pulled the video, alas]. Here's the video version: [video:youtube]1EC8lBwroOc Quote My music http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Pk12 My Soundware (Kurzweil PC3)http://pksoundware.blogspot.com/ My Kurzweil PC3 Tutorials http://www.youtube.com/user/poserp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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