ÁTM-Music

  1. Imploding The Mirage - The  Killers.  This album has an incredible way to capture immensity and euphoria (of finding trust,love and unavoidable faith), as it is shown in  the wild synths on My Own Soul's Warning (with Bruce Springsteen's influenced vocals) and Dying Breed . However, it is also able to draw peaceful joy , like in the serene 'Blowback'. The record is an enchantment and delight of finding a new way full of authentic feelings, excellently brought to music. Maybe that belief in authenticity and powerful love is what we needed this year.  2. Foolish Loving Spaces- Blossoms.  The Stockport band succeeds in their complete and finest analysis of love, which makes you swim through alt -rock ('Your Girlfriend' and 'Like Gravity') and pop perfection ('Oh No (I think I'm in Love)' and 'Swimming Brain') .  3 . After Hou rs-The Weeknd. An unexpected bet for pop without leaving R&B . His admiration for 80s pop came just in t...

 If you weren't feeling so Christmassy this year, Caroline Polachek and A. G. Cook are here to save your Christmas spirit just two days before Christmas Eve. Caroline didn't need to write a new song, she just adapted the lyrics to her hit 'So hot you' re hurting my feelings ' to  get' So cold you're hurting my feelings'. She is Mrs. Santa and is missing Santa while he is delivering presents around the world. The synths of the original version hinted the suitable jingle bells at the end of the song, creating 'Christmas on the dancefloor' vibe. 

  1.'She has no time'-KEANE:  Tim Rice-Oxley wrote this song to Keane's vocalist, Tom Chaplin, when he was fighting against unrequited love. Tom's vocals give you goosebumps as usual , but there is some disenchantment in his voice that will surely make you cry. 2. 'The River'-Bruce Springsteen: The song exudes sadness from the harmonica intro. The instrumental feels simple compared to his other songs. The storytelling lyrics are full of frankness and sincerity. The story of  the young couple having their dreams destroyed suffocated by life in a small town will definitely move you (' No wedding day smiles no walk down the aisle' //' No flowers no wedding dress').  3.'Ocean Eyes'-Billie Eilish:  A great way to show the fear of falling for someone through Billie's voice , full of vulnerability.   4,'Run'-JOJI:  Dive into  melancholy caused by an untrue relationship. Joji's vocals are sad and feel like he is crying out hopeles...

 Kali Uchis released on November 18th her second studio album, 'Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios)' , her first one almost completely in Spanish. Singing in Spanish and embracing her latin origins have always been present in her projects, as in Isolation , where she featured  Reykon for the track ' Nuestro Planeta'. The latin spin that fills up most of Kali's recent music was first shown on ' Solita', produced by the famous reggatón producer, Tainy  and not included on the album. Kali Uchis has been giving us clues since she covered Don Omar's  'Pobre Diabla' and La Lupe's 'Qué te pedí ', featured on the album. These covers show the two trends Kali is following on her latin pop view: Classic Reggaetón vibes and Latin Soul , approaching to more traditional latin music. The first track is ' La luna enamorada ', an unexpected bolero. Kali has been observing smartly her childhood tunes and latin music,and that is shown on this...

When I say 'stereotypes' I am referring to the association of an artist to a specific genre or style :An artist is consider pop and remains pop til the end of his/her career. The industry and the public classify an artist and make you expect he or she is going to always drop the same type of music. In the early 2000s there was an explosion of new artists and some of them were what we later  used to consider pop queens like Beyoncé, Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Despite Beyonce started in Destiny chid,(R&B) during her debut she mixed both R&B and pop ( 'Irrepleazable ' and 'Crazy In Love' ) . S he went totally pop with her 2008 album 'I'm Sasha fierce' . With songs like ' Halo ', ' If I Were A Boy' and ' Single Ladies' she became played in every pop radio station. Her pop side was confirmed with her 2011 album '4' and her self titled album (songs like ' Pretty Hurts ' or 'Love On Top '). But in her 20...

 Just a year ago, Therapie taxi dropped their second album, titled 'Cadavre Exquis'. The project was the second chapter to their successful first record, 'Hit Sale'. The song with the same title peaked on number 18 on France singles chart. It featured Belgian rapper Romeo Elvis and the video has more than 70 million views on YouTube. They were shortlisted for a Victoires de la musique award.   Sometimes described as controversial, Therapie taxi explored almost every genre in popular music, from synth pop ('Candide Crush'), to acoustic classic French pop ('La Proue'), trap beats ('BB la nuit'), house music and French hip hop. They managed to have their own public trying out different genres, unafraid to get out of the standards and being in constant  experimentation.   But, luckily, they are releasing an EP before they say goodbye, which is out January the 8th. Merci et Bon voyage (to the members of) Therapie Taxi! 

Last month Apostles released their second single, Goldrush, which follows up Waste A Moment. The Wigan band is preparing an EP and both singles were great samples to start paying attention to this emerging band. Waste A Moment is sparkling, joyful and set to make you jump and making you fly to your best trips memories. The song leaves you a positive vibe perfect to start the day. George Lyons' vocals are the perfect ingredient for a starting band. I am sure they will become pretty recognizable while the band keeps on growing. The track's spirit matches the artwork, colorful , mixing the blue morning sky with sunset colors. The second chapter is Goldrush , has got a little touch of sadness or disappointment, but as soon as the chorus starts you forget that and it becomes really energetic, even electric. There is also a great production on the song , with echoes to sing along to. Let's get ready for their EP!

 2021 Grammy nominations have been announced. Beyoncé is the most nominated artist this year for the unnoticed Black Parade and for her film for The Lion King:The Gift.  There are big snubs like The Weeknd, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Summer Walker and more. Let's get into it ! 1. Grammys do not know how to classify songs with trapbeats sang by pop singers . It happened with Ariana Grande 's  7 rings, nominated last year for Best Pop Solo Performance and it is  the same with Yummy and Changes. Do you remember the tweets talking bout 'R&Bieber' and that it was like a Chris Brown song? Well, for the Academy is totally pop. Grammys just do not know how to classify the plenty of songs that top the charts and that have mix trap with pop or that are simply trap. I guess The Academy is trying to nominate the new direction of pop music, but forgetting, for example, 80s influenced tracks, as The Weeknd synths tracks ' Blinding Lights'.  2. The Weeknd snub : If there ...

 CANDID released just a few hours ago the cover of Blondie's 'Heart of glass' . It seems like the song is experiencing a revival, much more since it was covered by Miley Cyrus in September (peaking on number 38 on the Official Charts). And now we can enjoy CANDID's version, full of brilliant vocals and ready to be the soundtrack of your weekend or lockdown.The band is not afraid of take the risk as they proved on their latest single, Numbers Game, a strong shout against music industry's falseness. 

Eduardo Casanova is a Spanish actor and  director, who gained popularity after the premiere of Pieles, 2017(Skins) , his first film  after directing and writing some short films. Even in his first short films, Eduardo Casanova established his aesthetics firmly ,like the prevalence of pink and lavender.   Let's dive into Eduardo Casanova aesthetic world! He mixes the old and the new ,the aesthetically socially considered perfection (pastel colour palette) with what is socially disregarded and often branded as ugly , like in  Pieles  , where he shows different stories starring by people with physical and emotional defomities.  Pastel colours create a shimmering spirit, making it feel as a different world, full of fantasy and sometimes, difficult to distinguish from a dream, and that has been brought to music, by the music videos directed by Eduardo.  There are only four music videos directed by Eduardo Casanova. Starting in 2014, with SMS's 'Un día ...

Ariana Grande released her sixth album last Friday. She had shared previously the first single, 'Positions ', a guitar-sampled track with a trap-pop beat ,which she started using in Thank u,next . The record opens  with ' Shut up ', a statement to her haters with a 'Don't-worry-bout-me' message.  ' But I just end up loving life '  , Ariana sings in Just Like Magic. S he has found happiness and it shows in the record, but, actually, the beauty and complexity in the album are seen in the songs with some feeling or emotion,or anytype of internal debate. The record splits into easy, simple songs about Ariana craving for sex with trap beats and autotune (34+35/' six thirty ') or  her new era of happiness,like when she sings her morning routine (Just Like Magic) and great pop songs. For example, ' My Hair', with its retro and 90s diva vibe (includes brilliant whistling) talking in a sutile suggestive and sexual way.  'Pov' recruits ...

 After the third remix of Levitating, Dua Lipa is ready to release new material and her new track features the belgian singer Angèle, who celebrated last month the second anniversary of her debut album 'Brol'. 'Fever' blends dance music, habitual in Dua's latest record with Angèle 's melancholic bridge and second verse,patent in some of her tracks like' Jalousie' or' Je veux tes yeux'. The song talks about the fever , emotional dependence to someone. To promote the single, both artists told Konbini how they knew each other and how their collaboration came up.         The video, shot in  London, is set to be released on Friday. The track maybe features on Dua's online live show, Studio 2054.

 Hatik has released today the video for 'Adieu Mon Amour'. It marks the end of  the Chaise Plainte era. There is no better one for this big chapter. It separates from other rap songs: There is no need for talking about money,sex and drugs . It is just the emotion of a love undermined, destroyed , which is inevitably ending. Hatik combines his best poetic lyrics with his deep pain. This is reflected on the video, where the rapper uses his acting skills to bring drama. Some images seem in slow-motion as Hatik was remebering  the good times of the relationship. In contrast, the scenes where the couple is arguing are faster and shot pretending to get you involved. After rescheduling his tour to 2021 , due to coronavirus, Hatik is preparing the next album while he says goodbye to the last in his most authentic way. Director: Anne Rivoallan

 On Thursday Machine Gun Kelly released the video for ' Forget Me Too' (featuring Halsey). The song stood out from the rest of MGK's new album songs , Tickets to my Downfall, where he forgets rap to be a pop-punk star. On the track , Halsey's autotuned voice remembers of Evanescence and her look in the video does too.   His partnership with Travis Barker from Blink-182 , who also appears in the video, began in ' I think I'm Okay' (ft. Yungblud) , included in his 2019 project , Hotel Diablo . With inspiration from Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy, there are tracks that reproduce the same pop-punk spirit as the 2000s ones and others that have a modern spin ( 'My Ex's Best Friend' , feat Blackbear). Other artists influenced by 90s bands are Twenty One Pilots and Post Malone. Both artists covered an Oasis classic (' Don't Look Back In Anger ') for Leeds Festival in 2019. Post Malone, despite having great success doing rap, he sounds more authen...

Usually I recommend videos but I decided to suggest you listening to the 'song vs song' podcast, hosted by Todd Nathanson and Dany Roth,specially their latest episode (with Grady Smith as special guest). In this episode they debated about what song represents more bro-country, 'Dirt Road Anthem' by Jason Aldean or 'Cruise' by Florida Georgia Line. For those who does not what  Bro-country is, it is a country sub-genre originated in 2010s and that usually recruits country stereotypes (tracks, girls with jeans, beer, Friday nights...), frequently mistaken with nowadays country music. (There is deeper country music, truly richer).  Influenced by rock and rap, both songs got rap remixes (Jason Aldean with Ludacris (Do not confuse Jason Aldean rap verse with Ludacris one)  and Florida Georgia Line with Nelly, as Kane Brown is doing right now) and they stated a new country wave. Despite the songs were released a few years ago the Podcasters take it back to nowadays. Th...

2020 CMT Awards are set to be next week and because of that, I remember today Brett Young and Boyz II Men live show for CMT Crossroads ,CMT section that brings together a country singer/group with a musician from other genre to play live songs from both artists.  It is usually interesting to see different genres artists singing country songs, which contributes to globalise country music. Due to country music's progressive spin to pop music , these live shows have shown bonds and things in common between pop and country singers . Great example is Nick Jonas and Thomas Rhett's gig . Thomas Rhett has recognised his admiration for Bruno Mars and some of his songs sound like Maroon 5's ones. We can see it too in the last Crossroads show, starring Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey. Tracks like ' Miss Me More' or their collaboration ' The Other Girl' , highlight that they are truly pop.  Let's focus now on Brett Young and Boyz II Men 's show! The show took place ...

 Miguel has dropped today the music video for 'Funeral', a song that was released on last year's November first - yes you  heard it right.  The song did not have so much success and it was, supposedly, the lead single for an EP, set to be released last winter. The track is dark. Miguel is  not afraid of connecting religion and death  references with desire. You can feel a bit of rawness ('blood on the carpet'). Maybe it is the darkness what has not helped to pop the song. Miguel had previously talked or added religious references in the past, as in Wildheart (whose review you can read by clicking on 'album reviews'), like in'Coffee' ('two lost angels discover salvation').  Despite the song can sound different from Miguel's previous work, we still have vibrant vocals in the pre-chorus. 'I lost my mind' - Miguel sings and that madness is patent on the video too, shot in black and white, it does not need more effects to surprise. It ...

Today Dua Lipa releases a new video for 'Levitating', featuring DaBaby(Billboard baby). It seems that the Blessed Madonna, Missy Elliott and   Madonna were not enough (at least  commercially or chartly enough).  With  'Hallucinate' out of the US singles chart and  peaking on number 31 on the UK Official single chart, Dua is ready for a proper new single. 'Let's make it 2020' - Dua must be thinking. This decision is maybe promoted by 'Club Future Nostalgia' failure: Only selling 28K in its first week, after changing its release date to a week later. One great thing brought back in this remix is adding back the chorus. The Blessed Madonna remix speeded up the song, eliminating the chorus parts, which were the key of IDGAF's success.   It is remarkable that Dua decides to do two remixes of the same song, instead of dropping music videos for singles off Future Nostalgia. 'Love again' or 'Pretty Please' might be a good idea for singles...

 2020 Latin Grammys' nominations have been announced today, just  hours ago. As Rolling Stone Magazine says,'J Balvin leads this year's nominations with 13, followed by Bad Bunny with nine nominations and Ozuna with eight;Anuel AA, Josh Gudwin and Collin Leonard each received seven nominations'. This proves reggaeton predominance , which separates from last year's controversy. A lot of Reggaeton artists (Daddy Yankee,Karol G , Maluma...) dennounced the lack of  reggaeton's protagonism , launching the hashtag #SinReggaetonNoHayLatinGrammys. (There are no Latin Grammys without Reggaeton) Let's start! -Record of the Year:     "China" — Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Karol G Featuring Ozuna & J Balvin  "Cuando Estés Aquí" — Pablo Alborán  "Vete" — Bad Bunny "Solari Yacumenza" — Bajofondo Featuring Cuareim 1080  "Rojo" — J Balvin  "Tutu" — Camilo Featuring Pedro Capó "Lo Que En Ti Veo" — Kany Garc...

 Last Thursday Michael Kiwanuka was announced as the winner of the 2020 Mercury Prize. After the big announcement, Michael performed ' Light' on Later...with Jools Holland  .  Early this week, Michael talked to the Mercury Prize's Youtube channel about the inspiration and the making-of the album. Based on 70s Black Music, Michael is not afraid of embracing his roots, his heritage. He is confident like never before. That is why the album is called ' KIWANUKA'.  There is some kind of joy on the record, shown in ' You Ain't The Problem ', an ode to confidence and persistence on being true to yourself . African drums melt with the alt-rock spirit (emphasized with warm vocals, such as in ' Rolling ') that exists throughout the whole album and a raw honesty in the lyrics. There is also time for searching hope  ( I've Been Dazed) in a religious way and for delicious piano-ballads-interludes.  'Hero' addresses Black Lives Matter.  The reviv...

This post is the first one of a new section, called ' Music & Visual Art'. Its purpose is to show the connection between music and other arts, specially visual arts. The point is proving how ,with the help of other arts , we can get to reflect the same that music does. In this first post the focus will be on THE 1975. Its frontman, Matty Healy appreciates and is so into different ways of art (painting, fashion and music ,of course). In an interview with GQ, he admits that ,for musicians, the ' live show is (their) c urrently artistic statement visually'.  That is probably why he also uses visual design. Talking to Pitchfork for the  On the records section, where Matty broke down all of the 1975's albums,he described the first one  as an ' Apocalyptic teenage romance' . He wanted the album's art to be ' nostalgic (...) , but also modern' , something that completely relates to the project . Black and white with some classic typography and...

 Two years ago , Christine and the Queens dropped her second studio album, which we have already reviewed back in July. With a new image, Christine tried to show something has changed from her vulnerable, but also determined debut album, Chaleur Humaine.  The first single, Girlfriend, had Christine not picking up between a genre, neither musically (she oscillated between funk and synth pop). Dancing got also more theatrical, with a brilliant set design, which developed in a 'must' to understand the album, to complete CHRIS experience. That is why we are going to go over the best performances of Christine while she was touring this second chapter. 1 . GLASTONBURY 2019 :With this album, she could return to Glastonbury after her 2016 set. This crowd was special to the singer, who had demonstrated its affection during her festival debut . 'Glastonfreaky' she claimed during Girlfriend performance. 2. COACHELLA 2019 : Apart from Glastonbury, she toured around the world '...

 Despite suffering postponements due to COVID-19, the Coventry band seems unstoppable. After getting played for the first time on BBC Radio 1's Introducing Selection , having played for BBC Radio 1 BIG WEEKEND and celebrating the success of ' Pulling away', the band is ready for their new single, 'Numbers Game'. Numbers Game is a statement against music industry's falsehoods and hipocrisy. Everything ends up in a 'numbers game'. The lyrics are full of clear honesty and describe the music game's traps ( 'Surrounded by numbers just to prove your worth' ). Solid, strong energetic and speedy guitars get their typical alt-rock spirit and help to reinforce the message.  Its severity and strength make the track a true assertion , powerful as a battle cry. 'Numbers Game' is a brilliant continuation to 'Pulling Away', but this time in a more confidently way .  defined by the lyrics and Rob Latimer's vocals, which show they are unaf...

 Back in March, the French series Validé 's premiere and its immediate success made Hatik gain popularity. Just weeks before Validé 's release, the rapper published Chaise Pliante II , which followed up his 2019's project, Chaise Pliante. Since then , Angela , a song included in his last year mixtape, has become number one in France and has been certified Diamond single after 50 million streams. Today we focus on  Adieu, Mon Amour  ( Chaise Pliante II ).The emotion of heartbreak floods the whole piece. The description of a faded and destructor love, is reflected through metaphors (fire has been poured on your lips/ your vitreous look) and severity, making it the closest track to poetry.  The song is based on real-life experiences, according to  Medeline  for  Boite Noire  (Hatik's frecquent producer and composer) . This could explain its honesty and extreme sentimentality (the love was supossed to end when both lovers died) , which is emphasi...

 This week's  top 10 has got two new entries , which are Uzi's À la fête, on number10 ( with more than 10 million views on Youtube since June) and Wejdene's COCO ( number 3 this week after entering last week in number 27), her second top 10 after the success of Anissa.  On number nine Bosh's Djomb goes down one place. It was a summer hit and it seems that it is going to leave the top 10 by the end of the summer. Franglish and Tory Lanez collaboration , My Salsa, is down one place after peaking in number six . In that position is, this week, Hatik's Angela. It reached number one in July despite its release in December. The track gained popularity after Hatik's role on Validé. THE TOP FIVE: After ruling the charts , NInho and Dadju's Grand Bain descends one place in the charts as well as Aya Nakamura's Jolie Nana goes down one place after being number one for a few weeks. Burna Boy's remix of Jerusalema is on number two and we will see if it final...

 In the new episode of NME's section 'Friends Like These'  Zara Larsson and MNEK remember the first time they met, being an artist and  the other version of 'Ain't My Fault' . Zara also tells about what inspired her new song 'Love Me Land' and MNEK speaks about how he came into Joel Corry's 'Head & Heart', which has been number one in the UK for six weeks and its reaching the top 10 in other European countries.

 James Bay released ,back in July, the first single, Chew on My Heart , for his third studio album. In an interview with NME he described the new record as  ' the most positive thing I’ve ever written' and that is clear on the first single. Chew On My Heart starts with James' vocals and a guitar . It could feel that it is another slow-tempo track from James Bay, but it is not. It is extremely joyful, hopeful and a celebration, maybe a celebration of love. Despite its cheerful spirit it has moments full of honesty          (   I  know no one could ever love me better // Take all night, you're the truth that is breaking me) . If James changed, by surprise, to alt-pop in his second project, he also surprised us this week with an unusual performance of the song for the Late Late Show with James Corden. He performed it on the London Eye . As he explains in the making of , he wanted a social distanced special performance and he really got it. He ...

After a five years hiatius , Ellie Goulding finally dropped her new album, Brightest Blue .  Despite the incredible success of Delirium (2015), it seems like Ellie did not feel herself in her last album. In an interview with The Guardian , she describes it as  “ A damn good pop album – maybe not an Ellie Goulding record.” . In this one, she wants to make the world know who she is. This project is a double album, with two sides. The first one is Brightest Blue, her most vulnerable record yet   , and the other one is ' EG.O' , kind of alter ego side , with her most commercial songs and the one that contains the biggest features.The record is a liberation for Ellie Goulding , who really wants to show her true music, but , in the same time, she is tied to her mainstream artist condition and to the label demands . That explains the second size, titled EG.O, that contains most of the features and the most commercial and chart-successful tracks of the record. Presented as...