Classical trained composer goes pop
Andrew Shapiro, best known for his assistance in music production and dexterity in classical music, has been moving more and more into a different musical light, that being the pinnacle of sugary pop music. Why, you may ask? Well, much of his music is influenced by what he observes and is fascinated by in real life. After all, isn’t society ruled by beauty gurus on YouTube, and 14 year olds hitting 900 likes on their frappucino Instagrams? What better way to gloss music than with the poppiest twist you ever heard with Shapiro’s newest album Pink Jean Mint Green.
The title of this album strings from an encounter Shapiro had on a train, when he spotted a very beautiful young woman wearing pink pants, a jean jacket and a mint green scarf. He claims “All of my problems would just magically disappear if I could end up with her…” and “these songs are definitely more about my reaction to this one specific person than the actual person herself.”
Whether it’s all the Lauren(s) he met in college or the actual title of the album Pink Jean Mint Green, the album resonates one observation after other in a very innocent and easily digestible way. Shapiro started as a guy that played piano on Wall Street’s McDonalds every Sunday, and eventually worked his way up the creative ladder to acquire connections in almost every entertainment field.
It was difficult for Shapiro to work individually on a genre he was so new to, so he started working with Mario McNulty, who incorporated percussion into his music. McNulty is a Grammy award winning producer and audio engineer based in New York. He has worked with artists like David Bowie, Prince and Nine Inch Nails, whose style is mirrored so subtly in Pink Jean Mint Green with their synth like undertones. Another mastermind to this album is Neil Gaiman, who wrote the lyrics to “Bash Street Worlds”. Neil Gaiman is a fictional writer, best known for his mystical writings like Coraline. Shapiro’s lyrics pick up a quirky and whimsical wording throughout the albums entirety.
The “Acura Club Song”, it’s exactly what you think it would be about, bitches drivin’ Acuras, dudes drivin’ Acuras. He takes it upon himself to glorify simplicity of lyrics and make the album almost sardonic. “Atlanta” uses lyrics like “But the most I could be Jappy for was three weeks.” which came from where he was brought up, a posh New York secular Jewish way. “Lauren(s)” is simply about the five girls named Lauren that he met while going to college at Oberlin, Emory, Dartmouth, Brown and Cornell. He admits “Yes, I wrote a song about five different girls all named Lauren…”
Shapiro’s album can be described as a combination between Owl City, Metro Station and most importantly Pet Shop Boys, who took a great inspiration to Shapiro’s intention of sound. With its glossy instrumentals and saturated pop vibes, this album was made to be almost satirical and definitely danceable.
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