Pop Levi - Never Never Love (2008)

So I was browsing blogs last night, and I came across this artist called Pop Levi. I sampled a few of his songs and it turns out that I think I have made my 'find' of the summer. There must have been some strange phenomena at work or something in my finding out about him - what piqued my interest was that his brand of glam rock is described as being similar to T. Rex, and I had literally just listened to and loved Electric Warrior for the first time this past week.

Pop Levi will be releasing his second album, Never Never Love, sometime this summer - but it's already floating around on the intarwebs. I got my hands on it and I think you should, too. So here we go!

'Wannamama' starts the album off with a ton of energy, with a driving guitar hook and bassline. The lyrics don't go too far beyond 'Ooh-hoo, wanna mama,' but that's OK because there's also a fat synth echo of the hook that's just too cool. The minimal and irresistible 'Never Never Love' comes up next and features great beats and a sing-song chorus with some nice harmonies toward the end. The next track, 'Dita Dimone,' is my favorite song on the album. Funky, fresh, and rather sexy, 'Dita Dimone' has fab beats, bass, and jangling guitars.

'Semi-Babe' pops up next with a mix of guitars, piano, and synths. It's pretty simple and laid-back, but not boring. The first of several tracks to have a reggae vibe appears in the form of 'Fire On Your Feet,' a slinky guitar-based number. Along with being a fun track that bops along merrily, 'Mai's Space' kind of reminds me of the song in the opening credits of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. A bit of a random observation, but anyways...

'You Don't Gotta Run' is a gentle, slow song with warm synths in the background and nice vocals from Pop. 'Oh God (What Can I Do?)' is a cool old-fashioned rocker, with buzzing guitars and a fuzzy main vocal. The next track has a very Prince-like vibe, but mixed with electro. So it's pretty darn nifty! Bubbling bass and beats push the song along, but it's really Pop Levi's vocals that make it work as well as it does. Synth bass and an electro beat, plus some hits that sound a bit reggae-ish, underpin the lovely 'Love You Straight.'

Bass-heavy beats and strummed guitars keep 'Call The Operator' flowing, another track that has a laid-back reggae/dub feel. 'Calling Me Down' is a nice piano-based ballad with lo-fi beats and guitar accompaniment. The album closes with the trippy, reverb-heavy 'Fountain Of Lies.' It sounds really neat, with synths dotting the mix of heavy drum beats and piano.

Try this album out - you just might like it! ;)

Never Never Love (2008) (320kb/s)
1. Wannamama
2. Never Never Love
3. Dita Damone
4. Semi-Babe
5. Fire on Your Feet
6. Mai's Space
7. You Don't Gotta Run
8. Oh God (What Can I Do?)
9. Everything & Finally
10. Love You Straight
11. Call the Operator
12. Calling Me Down
13. Fountain of Lies

Enjoy! Cheery bye, Scarlett

Pop Levi - Never Never Love (2008)