Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, Winter 2021, Episode One: Dear Stella’s Stefanie Drexler

February 2, 2021June 1, 2021 ~ Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio ~ Leave a comment

By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

It is comforting to know that, even as a sudden burst of winter fury blankets the landscape outside the cramped yet comfortable Pure Pop Radio studio with snow, snow, snow, the forecast for the world inhabited by melodic pop musicians is maintaining its clear-skies-and-smooth-sailing posture–sailing more in the metaphorical sense rather than the literal, although great records by great recording artists often do sail to the top of the charts.

I could easily see Dear Stella’s wondrous Time Zones EP, released late last year to much acclaim, rising to the top of the charts this year, or sailing there, if you prefer, because it really is that good. Time Zones’ six song playlist starts with “Time Machine,” a cheery burst of insanely creative, passionate force-of-good-naturedness recalling Jellyfish and other such there-are-no-limits-to-what-we-can-achieve-if-we-put-our-minds-to-it merry music makers, and ends with a quieter-by-many-yardsticks ballad, the very pretty “Brighton Beach” (not the one in Brooklyn, New York, and I made sure to ask).

Stefanie Drexler is Dear Stella — Stefanie Drexler

I was so captivated by Dear Stella’s initial release, on which Stefanie Drexler (she is Dear Stella) sings her heart out with the help of members of melodic pop’s usual suspects club (Bleu, Eric Barao, Kai Danzberg, and David Myhr), that I thought a talk with her would be a good addition to the current crop of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation shows.

The young Austrian singer-songwriter and I gathered together on Zoom for a lively, rather charming chat, during which I found out many interesting things about this up-and-coming artist, such as: she sang harmony vocals on an Air Supply recording, toured for a week in a band that opened for the B-52s, was a big fan of Britney Spears, and earned a Masters degree in popular music research.

That’s a pretty good list of achievements all by itself, but of course there is more, which you can discover by watching and listening to my chat with the multitalented and multifaceted Stefanie Drexler below, brought to you in See! Hear! Pop!, Pure Pop Radio’s finely-tuned, video-riffic sight and sound format. And below our 45-minute-long back-and-forth, you can hear three of the great songs featured on the Time Zones EP.

Enjoy.

Where to Get It: Amazon, Bandcamp, Apple Music

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-aired episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, and a wide variety of features.

We Welcome Singer-Songwriter Stefanie Drexler, aka Dear Stella, to Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation Next Tuesday, February 2

January 28, 2021 ~ Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio ~ Leave a comment

By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

This week’s post, from just two days ago, featuring a somewhat psychedelic iteration of the phrase “Can I Pet Your Cat,” stretched into a somewhat out-of-whack statement of purpose, was not without purpose, as you may have imagined.

The post was designed to see if the phrase, simply stated, rang any bells for fans of the kind of melodic pop we feature in these hallowed pages. Perhaps some bells were found to be ringing; if so, jolly good. You knew, being so well informed, that the phrase “Can I Pet Your Cat” can be seen on the green t-shirt worn by Austrian singer-songwriter Stefanie Drexler, who records under the name Dear Stella, on the cover of her tremendously entertaining, six-song EP entitled Time Zones.

I am thrilled to announce that Stefanie joins me for the first Winter 2021 episode of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation this coming Tuesday, February 2 at 11:45 am EST, right here and exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. All of our In Conversation interviews are presented in See! Hear! Pop!, Pure Pop Radio’s finely-tuned video-riffic sight and sound format, which draws you into the back and forth on offer like no other process imaginable.

Perhaps you have been enjoying Dear Stella’s Time Zones EP and suggesting to your friends that they join you in experiencing its wonders. If so, well, that’s a beautiful thing. If you haven’t yet heard any or all of the six songs on this terrific EP, two of them await you below. Go on, listen…I’ll wait.

There. Pretty swell, right? Every year, untold numbers of albums, EPs and singles are released by both new and new-to-you melodic pop artists. Dear Stella’s EP rises to the toppermost of that poppermost, in my opinion, drawing on a variety of approaches to the song as employed by such well-known purveyors of pop as Bleu, Eric Barao, David Myhr, Kai Danzberg, and Jellyfish, all of whom figure directly or indirectly in Stefanie’s songs. From the opening, joyous, smiling and catchy kitchen sink approach of “Time Machine” to the gorgeous closing ballad, “Brighton Beach,” which draws a knowing parallel between distance and affection, Time Zones is nothing less than one of the best releases of 2020.

And you’ll get to hear all about this so-very-very-good collection of songs this coming next Tuesday, February 2, right here on the Pure Pop Radio website, when Stefanie Drexler joins me on the latest episode of Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, presented in See! Hear! Pop!, Pure Pop Radio’s finely-tuned video-riffic sight and sound format. Don’t miss this joyful, rather charming 45-minute-long chat.

Sit back and enjoy two songs from the Time Zones EP to whet your appetite for next Tuesday’s in-depth discussion. Enjoy listening to “Time Machine” and “Brighton Beach.”

See you back here in just five days–Tuesday, February 2, at 11:45 am EST.

Where to Get It: Bandcamp, Amazon, Apple Music

Pure Pop Radio: In Conversation, hosted by Alan Haber, is the internet’s premier talk show presenting melodic pop music artists talking about their work. Interviews are presented in See! Hear! Pop!, Pure Pop Radio’s finely-tuned video-riffic sight and sound format. New episodes appear here exclusively on the Pure Pop Radio website. Podcast versions of previously-presented episodes are archived here.

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, interviews, and a wide variety of features.

Pure Pop Radio is Bursting with New, Magical Sounds

November 12, 2020 ~ Alan Haber's Pure Pop Radio ~ Leave a comment

By Alan Haber – Pure Pop Radio

Although you probably won’t ever hear any songs by rocker Marilyn Manson on Pure Pop Radio, you will likely agree with a quote attributed to him.

“Music is the strongest form of magic,” Manson is said to have uttered once upon a time. Good for Marilyn, we say! We think the rocker is right, and we bet you do too.

Pure Pop Radio, the 24-hour internet radio station playing the greatest melodic pop music in the universe, sends magical, musical missives out to waiting ears that are thirsty for sounds that make everything feel alright. And we all could use help in that regard these days.

Recent adds to our ever-growing playlist show that the catchiest songs from new and new-to-you artists are spinning hour after hour, around the clock. Some particularly fine examples:

Dear Stella. The nom de plume of Austria’s Stefanie Drexler is bound to satisfy fans of dynamic, creative sounds with the EP Time Zones, releasing tomorrow. These six, monumentally rich songs, beautifully produced and performed with true heart (check Drexler’s strong, emotional vocals), incorporate retro and contemporary sounds in surprising ways. Pop pundits Bleu, Eric Barao, David Myhr and Kai Danzberg are on hand, but this is Drexler’s show all the way, and a incredible, joyous show it is. We’re playing all six tunes in rotation. Here’s just a taste, a beautiful ballad from one of your soon-to-be-favorite 2020 releases, Time Zones:

The BOTP Band. With a half-dozen like-minded musicians in tow, the Junipers’ Robyn Gibson once again puts his stamp on treasured, classic tunes from pop music’s past. The latest collection, entitled Bob of the Pops Volume 5, makes songs by ABBA, Bob Dylan, the Tokens, the Five Stairsteps, the Hollies, Elliott Smith and many more of your favorites come alive in true BOTP fashion. We’re playing six of these stellar tracks, including the following pair (sing along if you know the words, and we know that you do!):

Bob of the Pops Volume 5 by Bob of the Pops

As usual, there is more–much more playing in rotation on Pure Pop Radio, including new songs from Orbis Max with Emperor Penguin, Swedish Polarbears, Caper Clowns, Nick Frater, Cliff Hillis, Richard X. Heyman. And more still!

Tune in to our 24-hour stream and enjoy the music!

Alan Haber’s Pure Pop Radio is the premier website covering the melodic pop scene with in-depth reviews of new and reissued recordings, interviews and a wide variety of features.