Episode 18: The Kesha Spesha

Kesha's solo comeback Praying is a song that strikes at the heart of how pop is made and where the power lies. It also raises the question of whether authenticity is a prerequisite when listening to highly emotive songs. Source material for this discussion includes Amanda Petrusich's excellent piece for the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-pain-of-denying-kesha-her-audience And John Seabrook's highly recommended book The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory. Elsewhere in this week's podcast, there's a J-Hus challenge, some bickering over Rita Ora lyrics and an argument over Katy Perry, Calvin Harris and whether songs written as a patchwork quilt of little ideas still work. Popjustice's review of Liam Payne's new single is here: https://www.popjustice.com/songs/zedd-and-liam-payne-get-low/ And we've made a Songs of the Summer playlist, to be updated with new suggestions as they come along: https://open.spotify.com/user/snapes/playlist/3Dwx8dc86Zksmf8aUNKJxG Laura's most-listened-to song this week is "Equestrian" by Omni and Fraser's is “ALIENS” by Coldplay. As ever, all of this week's notable tracks are in our rolling Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/snapes/playlist/2J6T6Ks6rQNNe9vUeu24ON You can email us on [email protected], or tweet us: https://twitter.com/laurasnapes https://twitter.com/csi_popmusic

Om Podcasten

The podcast that tapes the Top 10 and talks about it at school the next day, hosted by Fraser McAlpine and Laura Snapes. Email us! [email protected] Tweet us! csi_popmusic (https://twitter.com/csi_popmusic) + laurasnapes (https://twitter.com/laurasnapes) Nice stuff that smart people have said about UMC: "As pop critics, Snapes and McAlpine have plenty of background information and anecdotes to augment their rundown of the week’s chart. If only all playground debates about music had been so well informed." -- Caroline Crampton, The New Statesman (http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/podcasts/2017/04/how-podcasts-are-reviving-excitement-listening-pop-charts) "While the charts have become both confused and sidelined in recent years, they’re still an invaluable insight into the machinations of the music industry, something this pod proves in gratifyingly informed style." -- The Guardian Guide (https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/apr/07/the-10-best-things-to-do-this-week-syd-russell-brand-and-i-am-not-your-negro)