MKTO, Allen & Karmin unleash new pop sounds

Kids take a look at MKTO and think. They are the guys from Gigantic on Nickelodeon. Their parents take a look at MKTO and wonder. Isn’t he the kid from Lost? They are both right. Malcolm Kelly spent his growing up years as Walt Lloyd in several seasons of the popular TV series Lost. And he and Tony Oller were indeed the boys from Gigantic.

Malcolm and Tony were not only co-stars. They are also friends who make music together. This is the reason why they became MKTO. The letters stand for the first letters of their names. They have already proven themselves fine actors so they are now trying to make it as musicians. I do not think it will take them a long time to do so. They sound great. Music to these two is an easy fit.

The first album simply titled MKTO is now out. It is fun classic pop with hints of rock and hip-hop. What is so amazing is the wholesome clarity of the songs. At a time when albums commonly need a parental advisory warning, you can have little brothers and sisters listen to MKTO. I am sure they will end up with a good sense of rhythm, nice vocals and an idea of how this can be a better world.

Best cuts are Thank You, a tribute to those who came before; Classic, a name-dropping exercise on what is classic; American Dreams, which is about the disappointed many who dared to believe in the Hollywood Dream; and the moving power ballad Wasted. But no need to worry too much that these guys do only the serious stuff. They also sound good. MKTO also has fun pop songs with a great beat.

Other songs included are God Only Knows, Could Be Me featuring Ne-Yo, Forever Until Tomorrow, Heartbreak Melody, Nowhere, No More Second Chances (feat. Jessica Ashley) and Goodbye Song.

Sheezus by Lily Allen. Get out the parentaI advisory warning before putting Sheezus on the player. Really strong language here.  Marriage and motherhood have not changed Allen one bit. Her singing sounds great. She has her British humor intact. And she is as irreverent as ever.

I do not know what Sheezus means save that it reminds me of the Kanye West album Yeezus. I have also put off trying to find out what Sheezus is let alone trying to decipher the lyrics in the album cover. You will need a very strong magnifying glass. As of now, that is the title of Allen’s new album. Fortunately, one does not have to understand this word she concocted to enjoy her music. And you can certainly do that with Sheezus.

Allen has always been like this, an enchanting rebel with a tendency to shock. From what I can make out in Sheezus and the other songs, the album is Allen’s stand about celebrity. This explains the name-dropping. Beyoncé, Rihanna, Rita Ora, etc. are mentioned in some cuts.

Strangely though, the strongest, most commercial tracks are those where she just stayed with the music and held back on the language. Life For Me, the best cut production-wise. Check out those guitars. Take My Place, a rare serious moment. Close Your Eyes, a light, happy song. And if you have the deluxe edition with the extra disc, I am sure you will love her cover of Keane’s, Somewhere OnIy We Know. No shocker. Just a beautiful voice singing a beautiful song.

Also included are CD 1: L8 Cammr, Air Balloon, Our Time, Insincerely Yours, As Long As I Got You, Close Your Eyes, URL Badman, Silver Spoon and Hard Out Here. CD 2 bonus tracks: Wind Your Neck In, Who D You Love?, Miserable Without Your Love and Holding On To Nothing.

Pulses by Karmin. Aside from MKTO, the other duo to enjoy nowadays is definitely Karmin. This is actually the group’s first full-length album. Karmin’s first, the very well-received Hello, was an extended player with only six songs. Pulses is certainly big time better, not because it has more cuts but because the music just flows, fun and uncomplicated.

Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan as Karmin have so mastered the sensibilities of old-school pop that they can assume the funk like second skin while driving or dancing to any rhythm. But because they are new millennial kids, they also have the advantages of this age. Check out the Intro Geronimo for an idea on what I am saying and what the album is like.

Pulses, with its rap bits, keeps up the pace and then the mood gets lighter and brighter with the pop ballad I Want It All; the dance track Night Like This; Drifter with its wacky rap; the trance-like Puppet; the earworm Try Me On; and the grand song to imagine the big getaway with, Gasoline.

The best of the lot though are Hate To Love You, an incredible duet; Neon Love where Amy’s singing really soars; and Acapella because it shows Karmin experimenting with other sounds.