Pop doesn’t have to be the stuff of chart-focused, template following, style over substance, dance routine driven, celebrity guest rapper, gimmicky dross. Pop can be every bit as smart and sophisticated as any other genre. How do I know? Well, I just listened to the new single from Karamelien, that’s how.
Ahead of the album of the same name, Karamelien has dropped “Living With The Moon” to whet the listener’s appetite, test the water and tease the discerning music buff, and it is utterly lovely. Taking a dash of sixties pastoral vibes, some eighties dream-pop ambiance and blending them with pop infectiousness and indie poise of the here-and-now, it’s a song that drifts and delights, sounding like a brilliant collaboration between The Darling Buds, Dido and Natasha, Khan. And in my book at least, that ticks a lot of boxes.
So, if the charts are indeed clogged up with music that seems both derivative and purely a music industry ploy to keep its executives in the lifestyle to which they have become so undeservedly accustomed, then it is your civic duty to buy this track and the album to follow. Imagine if songs like this became the mainstream sound instead of some pointless singer-songwriter with complicated hair and a knack for lousy poetry or another gang of R&B robots whose selling point is that they are scantily clad in their video. Wouldn’t that be something? Well, you know what to do…
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