chalk and numbers: "i really wanna work this out"

just when you think there's no good new music left out there, you shuffle your iPod library and find something truly wonderful. chalk and numbers' he knew EP has been gathering dust in my library since january. but with all the music i download on a daily basis sometimes something will go undiscovered for a while, or at least until it's supposed to be heard. hearkening back to the simple but beautiful arrangements, melodies and harmonies of mid-'60s pop, "i really wanna work this out," is magnificent. is it any wonder then that chalk and numbers list the beach boys as their sole musical influence on their facebook page?

Chalk And Numbers - I Really Wanna Work This Out - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

ed sheeran: "grade 8" and "you need me, i don't need you"

a wise man once said "gingers have no soul." but there are always exceptions to the rule, right? 20-year-old british singer/songwriter ed sheeran might be that exception. his debut album, +, bowed at the number 1 spot on the u.k. album charts this month. one of the lead single, "you need me, i don't need you," is filled with smart lyrics sung (almost rapped, really) like i sing/i write my own tune/and i write my own verse/hell/don't need another wordsmith to make the tune sell, and my personal favorite, they say i'm up 'n coming like i'm fucking in an elevator. the song is a nice contrast to tunes like "grade 8," which is more of a straightforward, memorable acoustic pop song.

Ed Sheeran - Grade 8 - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

Ed Sheeran - You Need Me, I Don't Need You - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

dev: "in my trunk"

there's a hard and fast rule on the Pop Sucker that applies to all music: if i don't like a song, it doesn't get posted. the same goes for songs that i'm unsure about. the song has to be something i enjoy and am excited to share (or cher, as the case may be). in a way, i'm breaking this rule. i'm not entirely sure how i feel about "in my trunk," by dev. i'm not even sure if i like dev at all. her sound is too top 40. meh. yet i find myself drawn to "in my trunk," which is either about her days in vaudeville or how she transports her groceries from the supermarket back to her home. that part is still fuzzy. so are the lyrics. it sounds like she  saying "i got that thump/it's in my trunk." although i have a sneaking suspicion "thump" is really "dump" and she's singing about her frantic search for a bathroom on the way to club. hey, when a girl's gotta go...

miami horror: "under the milky way"

miami horror do a straightforward, moving cover of the curch classic "under the milky way."

Miami Horror - Under the Milky Way - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

new navy: "fire fire" and "zimbabwe"

sydney's new navy classifies their music as "biodynamic beach bop." i have no idea what that means. does it matter anyway? not if these boys keep churning out tunes like "fire fire." lead singer ben mcinerny's rich vocals color a memorable tune rife with slick guitar riffs and pleasant harmonies. the boys are gaining buzz with their new single, "zimbabwe," off their debut EP, uluwatu. "fire fire" is actually from their original three-song demo that was released last year. "zimbabwe," also included below, is just as delightful. the sing-songy "zimbabwe-babwe-babwe-babwe" on the chorus is the most annoyingly clever hook since "umbrella-ella-ella."

New Navy - Fire Fire - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

New Navy - Zimbabwe - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

nurses: "trying to reach you"

Nurses - Trying To Reach You - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

de-vision: "twisted story" (remixes)

a double dose of '80s-inspired synthpop? why, thank you. don't mind if i do.

DeVision - Twisted Story (Tkach Radio Cut) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

DeVision - Twisted Story (Rob Dust Remix) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

the kickdrums: "counting on you"

just before christmas we introduced you to the kickdrums and their mini symphony "animal." now they've released their debut album meet your ghosts. although it doesn't include "animal," it is chock-full of other symphonic goodies. "counting on you," like "animal," definitely shows influences of 1960s pop, with beach boys-style harmonies and fuzzy guitars. but their modern take is both refreshing and familiar, two qualities seriously lacking in much of today's music, and ones the kickdrums put over brilliantly.

The KickDrums - Counting On You - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

you won't: "television"

stumbled upon this great song today by fellow bay state natives josh arnoudse and raky sastri who playfully call themselves you won't. and who, apparently, take playing wiffle ball very seriously. although these exceedingly cute boys have been collaborating for over a decade, their projects were mostly kept personal. now their striking out as a duo, having recently released an album, skeptic goodbye. "television," with its sparse arrangement of hand claps, piano and reverberated double vocals is an exceptionally good example of the less-is-more variety. and a sound which undoubtedly could carry these boys far.

You Won't - Television - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

the golden filter: "longest night of the year"

The Golden Filter - Longest Night Of The Year - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

veronica falls: "bad feeling"

harmonies are like musical orgasms. the thrill of hearing harmonies done well is fleeting but intense and it feels exceptional. in high school i performed in show choir and at the start of each year our choir director made the group sing madrigals, complex renaissance-era compositions that are quite difficult to sing. what made them special were the intricate harmonies and vocal arrangements, and we all took a special thrill in singing them because of these harmonies. listening to veronica falls's eponymous album was like having multiple musical orgasms. their sound evokes the baroque pop of the '60s, a la mamas & the papas, especially on songs like "bad feeling." i die a little each time i hear it. and i keep wanting more.

Veronica Falls - Bad Feeling - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

charlotte gainsbourg: "memoir"

the sound i most associate with charlotte gainsbourg is a deeply disturbing one. two years ago the actress-singer appeared recently in lars von trier's antichrist. in it she plays a grieving mother in a broken marriage who is unsuccessfully rehabilitated by her psychiatrist husband played by willem dafoe (one of my favorite actors of all time). in one scene gainsbourg, who has fallen right over the edge into insanity, snips off her clitoris with a pair of silver scissors. although i covered my eyes during the scene, the sound of the scissors cutting off her clitoris was one of those sounds i'll never be able to un-hear. 

"memoir," gainsbourg's new song from her EP terrible angels, might erase that terrible sound. the folk-pop story song is quite memorable thanks to a great hook and gainsbourg's breathy delivery, which is almost void of feeling. this adds to the emotional wallop of the heartbreaking lyrics and she nails it.

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Memoir - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

still corners: "cuckoo"

still corners' "cuckoo" is the aural equivalent to a handful of seconals. celestial, chimerical, the tune is the lead single off the london group's debut album creatures of an hour set for release next month. the band's label, sub pop, has kept much of it shrouded in mystery, but that only adds to the appeal of the song and the group.

Still Corners - Cuckoo - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

the rapture: "how deep is your love?" and "come back to me"

the rapture have had a breakout year. their first album in five years, in the grace of your love, has received positive reviews while the lead single, "how deep is your love?", seems to have been blogged ad nauseam. and for good reason. while nothing on the album comes close to the frenzied, orgiastic glory of "how deep is your love?" the close runner-up is the trippy, quasi-tropical, concertina-drenched "come back to me."

The Rapture - How Deep Is Your Love? - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

The Rapture - Come Back to Me - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

james vincent mcmorrow: "higher love"

dig this stripped-down acoustic cover of steve winwood's 1980s classic "higher love" by irish indie-folk hot ticket james vincent mcmorrow.

James Vincent McMorrow - Higher Love - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

AM & shawn lee: "somebody like you"

when two artists from uniquely different musical backgrounds come together to form a new entity, the results are often explosively refreshing. although superstar collaborations are not new -- some of the biggest hits in billboard's hot 100 history are one-off collaborative duets (e.g. "endless love") -- the trend was modernized and given a kick-start by gnarls barkley several years ago. now L.A. indie pop artist AM and londoner shawn lee have teamed up to form the relatively obvious-named outfit AM & shawn lee. their debut album, celestial electric, is a coalescence of synths and soul, as evidenced on "somebody like you." check it out below.

AM & Shawn Lee - Somebody Like You - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

inna: "club rocker" (david guetta remix)

need a little kick to bring you through labor day weekend? this should do it.

Inna - Club Rocker (David Guetta Remix) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

and don't forget our annual labor day message, courtesy of al bundy:

sidney york: "cold in here"

how many pop singers do you know who list the ukelele and french horn among the instruments they can play? there's at least one: canadian songstress sidney york (alias brandi sidoryk), a self-described "band geek" who often peppers her tunes with these instruments, along with the oboe and bassoon. this feist-esque singer has released her second album, apocalyptic radio cynic. the opener, "cold in here," is a straightforward, almost mid '90s alternative rock-inspired pop tune that perfectly showcases york's unique and appealing voice.

Sidney York - Cold in Here - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

HandS: "no romance"

everyone knows i'm a sucker for a 'bad romance,' but sometimes all you need is "no romance." the debut single from scandinavians HandS is europop in its purest form. the nordic beauties behind HandS -- håkon and sofie -- have given us an instantly accessible, retro-yet-modern club jam filled with big synths, big hooks and big vocals. why are scandinavians so good at making music?!

HandS - No Romance - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker