CD Review: Hotspot by the Pet Shop Boys

Hotspot
by the Pet Shop Boys (Music Compact Disc 781.66 Pet)

If you are itching to get your disco/synth-pop/techno-groove on, grab this 2020 album from one of the premier 1980s super-duos. Masters of hook-laden songs incorporating lush, plush, slightly nasal vocals which have just an edge of sand with smooth, beat-driven primo electronic accompaniment, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe deliver the goods again, updated without losing that oh-so-distinctive PSB feel. Along with several bouncy numbers, there are a couple that are more quiet and contemplative. Hotspot is an all-around enjoyable offering of tasty techy coolness, if this kind of music is your “cuppa”.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Pet Shop Boys Discography: The Complete Singles Collection by Pet Shop Boys, Actually by Pet Shop Boys — this and many other albums are available on Hoopla through LCL, or Musique Vol. 1, 1993-2005 by Daft Punk. Other artists of interest may be: Depeche Mode, Human League, A-ha, Soft Cell, A Flock of Seagulls, Howard Jones, Thomas Dolby, Spandau Ballet, Peter Schilling, Thompson Twins, Donna Summer, Jean Michele Jarre, Duran Duran, and Tears for Fears.]

[ official Hotspot page on the official Pet Shop Boys UK web site ]

 

Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Music Book Review: Switched on Pop by Nate Sloan and Charles Harding

Switched on Pop: How Popular Music Works and Why it Matters

by Nate Sloan and Charles Harding (Music 781.64 Slo)

 

This is a fun and informative book with an interesting structure: addressing pop music hits of the last 20 years, Switched on Pop analyses 16 hit songs by looking at unique attributes of their construction. Each song represents a particular kind of approach to songwriting, placed into context using bits of relevant music theory and music history. Taken as a whole, the book is a great stroll through important musical concepts that you can simply enjoy as a reader, but you can also apply these ideas to songwriting yourself.

 

There are great illustrations throughout the book that help to explain all kinds of musical phenomena visually, from reverb shown as a bouncing ball around a room to song forms shown as rollercoaster rides. While many of the concepts addressed in the book are fairly simple, the authors also tackle more complex musical ideas through pop music, including counterpoint and bitonality. Most importantly, they maintain a sense of fun and curiosity no matter what musical topic comes up. You might find yourself listening to new and different aspects of your favorite songs after reading this book, and liking all kinds of music even more.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try How Music Works, by David Byrne, or Why You Like It: The Science and Culture of Musical Taste, by Nolan Gasser.]

[ official Switched on Pop web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott S.
Polley Music Library

Check out this, and all the other great music resources, at the Polley Music Library, located on the 2nd floor of the Bennett Martin Public Library at 14th & "N" St. in downtown Lincoln. You'll find biographies of musicians, books about music history, instructional books, sheet music, CDs, music-related magazines, and much more. Also check out Polley Music Library Picks, the Polley Music Library's e-mail newsletter, and follow them on Facebook!

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Jagged Little Pill

Jagged Little Pill
by Alanis Morisette [Compact Disc 781.66 Mor]

This album has sold 33 million copies worldwide, and I've loved it since it came out in the mid-1990's -- to this day I still listen to it regularly! Several featured songs came from this album: You Oughta Know, One Hand in my Pocket, You Live You Learn, Head Over Feet, and if you listen to the very last track, there is a hidden a cappella version of "Your House" at the very end. It has since appeared on many of the "Greatest Albums of all Time" lists, and it won numerous Grammy Awards including: Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Rock Album, and Album of the Year. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Morisette's other albums: Supposed former infatuation Junkie, Flavors of Entanglement, Under Rug Swept.] -- recommended by Jeremiah J. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Alanis Morrisette web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

All Access: The Rock and Roll Photography of Ken Regan

All Access: The Rock and Roll Photography of Ken Regan
by Ken Regan [Music 789.166 qReg]

This coffee table size book is a well-photographed trip through five decades of the music industry. As I turn each page I gasp in amazement at the exquisite portraits and candids. The book is laced with Ken Regan's stories about getting the photographs. One of the stories is about the timely snowstorm that made sure that Regan was one of the few phototogs who made it to Fort Dix, New Jersey to photograph Elvis Presley on the eve his discharge from the army. Another story describes the best photo that he ever took of a musician - Bob Dylan. There are many photos of a youthful Mick Jagger because he was on five of the Stones tours. This is a stunning masterpiece. It's perfect for rock fans, baby boomers who remember these performers when they were in their prime and photographers who appreciate the effort that went into making these photos. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ official Ken Regan web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Off the Wall

Off the Wall

by Michael Jackson [Compact Disc 781.66 Jac]

I wasn't a "fan" of the Jackson 5 when I was a child and teen but I knew who they were. And I had enjoyed Michael's solo hit "Ben." It wasn't until I heard the songs from Off the Wall (which came out when I was 20), a tightly-produced blend of pop, disco, and r&b, that I embraced his artistry and image -- a handsome young man who could dance both vocally and physically. And I'm not a big fan of falsetto singing, either, which comprises a lot of what MJ did. The best songs, interestingly, are those that either Michael or Rod Temperton wrote or co-wrote. The tunes by such heavy hitters as Carole Bayer Sager, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney seem forgettable in comparison. The album's best tracks, for me, are: the title cut; Rock with You; Don't Stop til You Get Enough; the high-energy Working Day and Night; Get on the Floor; and the angst-laden but simply-arranged She's Out of My Life. Props not only go to Jackson, Temperton, and album producer Quincy Jones, but also studio greats Greg Phillinganes, Paulinho Da Costa, Steve Porcaro, David Foster, and Louis Johnson. Other musicians who would be more famous later on include Larry Carlton and George Duke. -- recommended by Becky W.C. - Walt Branch Library

[ official Michael Jackson web site/memorial site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.