“Rich Doors”

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New Villager open Rich Doors with drums that seem to drive straight to the heart of whoever’s listening. The song almost seems caught between genres and ends up somewhere almost refreshing despite it. There’s some nice vocal work over the music, though I confess I still don’t understand half the lyrics beyond the hook. Overall, the elements add up to make a good, enjoyable song. Honestly, the rest of the song could suck but I’d still love it because the drums win me over every single time.

“Like Boom”

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I like Wolverine and James Dean, like you.

Ending the week on a high note with a catchy, upbeat pop single from teenager Vita Chambers. The song encapsulates everything it is to have a crush on someone — that heady ‘I like you and I like the things you like, so I hope you like me, too’ feeling. While the lyrics are incredibly simple, the effect works with the great poppy beat, making it the kind of song to enjoy without giving too much thought. And sometimes, that’s all you really need in music.

“Don’t Stop the Music”

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Jamie Cullum is sort of like Michael Bublé’s overshadowed step-brother. He just doesn’t seem to get the sort of fame Bublé does, even though he’s doing for jazz-pop what Bublé’s doing for pop standards. Maybe it’s his smokier voice, maybe it’s because he writes his own tunes, maybe it’s his inability to brush his hair, maybe maybe maybe. You never know what’ll happen in the music biz, but I do wish he’d get more exposure.

His 2009 album The Pursuit was a pleasant surprise, appealing to new and old jazz fans alike, though a few tracks stray closer to the pop end of the spectrum than Jamie (I can’t call him Cullum, I just keep retyping the name of a certain sparkly vampire family) usually goes for — like the strangely appealing album ender Music Is Through which…is a house track. But jazzy. Sort of. I don’t even know, you have to hear it to believe it. Anyway, Don’t Stop the Music is a great example of his grasp of jazz-pop, the sort of song I’d use to introduce someone to his music.

I first discovered Dan Black back in 06 when he was still with The Servant, and I’ve been keeping an eye on him ever since their split a year later. Last year saw his debut album as a solo artist, and he’s doing damn fine for himself. I’ve seen him described as a “wonky” pop musician, and the word’s almost perfect for his ((Un)) album. He knows how to write a damn good pop song, but they’re never generic; there’s always something interesting going on in the music that makes it (and him) stand out.

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U + Me =

Sometimes I go on music binges at 2am and wake up the next day with a folder full of dozens of tracks and barely a memory of where I got them, or, when I listen again in broad daylight, why I even saved them. (I’ve also discovered that it is possible to get a music hangover, and once went two days without turning winamp on. ODing is serious business. But I digress.)

I discovered A B & the Sea last night, and it’s been a very, very long time since a band’s captured my attention so quickly and thoroughly. With their Beatles meets The Beach Boys gone modern California sound, their songs are the kind of stuff you expect to hear on a beach, setting the mood for a great summer vacation. The best part is that their sound works even in the dead of winter. At least it does for me — I haven’t been this upbeat and cheerful about music in weeks. I love these guys.

The band is currently letting out five free singles, but only if they get enough people downloading them from their website. So do me a favor and take a gander, download the two released songs from there (not your RSS reader!) and let them know they’re being heard.

Do you need that link again? Oh, alright: A B and the Sea.com.

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Bone Dry

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Yellow Haired Girl

After a pretty lackluster album in Show Your Bones, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs came back last year completely reinvigorated with It’s Blitz. They departed a bit from their signature dirty rock sound and as a synth-pop junkie, I fell completely in love all over again.

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Heads Will Roll

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Heads Will Roll (Nite Cells Remix)

Yes Giantess are one of my favorite new acts that have risen to the top of the synth-pop trend. La Roux is another of my favorites, so when I found out Yes Giantess actually covered a La Roux song, I nearly creamed myself.

A part of me is still upset I never got to see them on their joint tour, but this almost makes up for it.

Yes Giantess – I’m Not Your Toy
La Roux – I’m Not Your Toy

There’s an incredibly simple formula to what All Thieves have done with this track: create a barely there beat, add a smooth female voice, echo it in the chorus, add general lyrics and ta-da! Instant song.

It’s simple and nothing that hasn’t been done before, but I love it.

Turn and Turn Again

I’m sure I’m not the only one who takes their iPod along when they go for a walk, but half the time I wish I was capable of going somewhere without music along, because I almost always, without fail, embarrass myself in some fashion when a really good song comes on — either by dancing or humming or even singing out loud.

Yeah, I’m that person.

This was a big problem whenever I’d walk around Manhattan or take the subway, but after a while I realized it wasn’t worth it to dwell on the embarrassment. It was always gone in moments because the music was just that good, and sometimes you’ve got to say screw it and just let it all out. That’s what music is all about, isn’t it?

Ratatat – Seventeen Years
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – Going to a Go Go
Yeasayer – One

It’s been absolutely miserable here on the East coast since Snowpocalypse began in January. Or maybe it’s just me and my inability to deal with weather below 60 degrees. Anyway, here, have an upbeat, fun, summery one hit wonder from Len that never fails to cheer me up.

Steal My Sunshine