filur: "shadow boxing" and "concentrate!"

filur first came to my attention last year with their seductive, sexy track "welding love." the danish duo, kasper bjørke and tomas barfod, keep things moving on their debut album faces, which is has some very bouncy, straightforward nordic pop, and some otherwise unexpected darker electronica tracks. one of those is "concentrate!" it immediately hooks you with its slinky beats. then the vocals start. all of sudden you're thinking, wait. what?! so you view the video, which at least somewhat explains the theme behind the song, then it occurs to you: this is the most depressing dance song i've ever heard. so you keep dancing. because it's the right thing to do. (plus those sinewy, beautiful young nordic boys make it look so good.) "shadow boxing," on the other hand, doesn't take nearly as much thought and introspection to process. it's straight-up delicious pop candy. rot your teeth.

Filur - Shadow Boxing

alex metric: "end of the world" (feat. charli XCX)

i've been a fan of london DJ/producer alex metric for a couple years, and while his newly released album open your eyes deserves attention, i'm more interested in the vocalist on the lead single "end of the world." charli XCX has been slowing building blogosphere buzz. the 19-year-old fellow londoner -- whose voice bears a striking resemblance to the motels' lead singer martha davis -- earlier this year released her debut single "stay away," which almost made my black lightning mix-tape. "end of the world," which encapsulates charli's self proclaimed goth-pop image and sound, was supposed to be featured on her debut album, set to drop in early 2012.  she's one to keep your eye on.

Alex Metric - End of the World (feat. Charli XCX)

coldplay: "paradise" and "princess of china" (feat. rihanna)

it's one of the most anticipated songs of the year, and we're bringing it to you first! two weeks after the album leaked on the interwebs! but, hey, it's still good, so what the heck, right? "princess of china" is the duet between coldplay and rihanna off coldplay's new album mylo xyloto. it's got hit written all over it and since everything rihanna is involved with turns to gold (or platinum in music industry speak), this tune could be the pop shot in the arm coldplay needs. the rest of the album has its moments, but nothing comes close to "princess of china," a dark, almost eerie tale of regret, and the insanely catchy "paradise."

Coldplay feat. Rihanna - "Princess of China"

Coldplay - "Paradise"

foster the people: "call it what you want" (the soundmen remix)

the soundmen are back with a remix of a foster the people track. it's highly doubtful you'll find a better way to start off your thursday.

Foster The People - Call It What You Want (The Soundmen Remix) by The Soundmen

jordan knight: "let's go higher"

i know what you're thinking: seriously? you've got to be kidding me with this. jordan knight? as in new kids on the block? puh-lease ... are those cheese puffs? believe me, i get it. but let me remind you, there is no such thing as a guilty pleasure. and yes, they're cheese puffs. get your own.

Jordan Knight - Let's Go Higher (Feat. Colby O'Donis) by the Pop Sucker

get your man: a mix-tape

cover art by daniel schrimshire

get your man is about sex. it's about love, desire. it's also about relationships and whether those things are mutually exclusive and/or under which circumstances they can happily co-exist. it's about different kinds of making love -- with a partner, solo, sensual, rough -- and all the different feelings and emotions that go along with it. but mostly it's about having a good time, getting off, feeling pleasure and ultimately satisfied, spent, bent. it's an orgasm for your ears; a jolt for your pop music sex drive.

get your man: a mix-tape

secret lover - that work // how deep is your love? - the rapture // dirty talk - wynter gordon // radioactive - marina & the diamonds // bad dog - neon hitch // rock me (dance mix) - melanie c // the way i see - will young // love's on the line - tyson // love you more (RAC mix) - sunday girl // i need a mate - freezepop // edge (hipjoint remix) - brock zanrosso // heart skips a beat - olly murs feat. rizzle kicks // party of one - clayton hawkins // heartbreak - zak waters

[bonus track] benihana - marilyn chambers     

butcher blades/: "the swan machine"

drawing on exotic world music, pop music and cinematic influences, "the swan machine" by australia's butcher blades/ is one of those tunes that makes you feel like it's summertime no matter the season. in many ways the song is straight-up oddball, with its mishmash of tropical beats, steel drums and tribal chants. it's the kind of song that you could only wish was played at disney's polynesian resort.

Butcher Blades/ - The Swan Machine by the Pop Sucker

states: "follow it home"

a straight-ahead pop/rock number with one of the best hooks i've heard all year.

States - Follow It Home - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

fiorious: "if you wanna dance" + remixes

you may remember fiorious from our interview with him earlier this year. the new electro-funk king has been busy preparing his self-titled debut album, which will drop in early 2012. you might want to brace yourself. it's gonna be huge. he just leaked one of the tracks, which you can hear in the video below. also included are links to two remixes of songs which will appear on the album.

"7 steps" (cerronza deep house mix):
http://soundcloud.com/fiorious/mix-7strmx-voxup

"so pretty" (scuola furano remix):  
http://soundcloud.com/fiorious/pretty-rmx-mixhcs-master

LIGHTS: "toes"

my friend jeff (a.k.a. the new jan brady) said recently, "i think LIGHTS' album sounds like what i wish ellie goulding's album sounded like." it's true that canadian LIGHTS' voice does bear a striking resemblance to british songbird goulding's. the new album, siberia, by LIGHTS (real name: lights poxleitner) is a chillingly cool synthpop affair and her voice is well suited for it. just take a listen to lead single "toes." goulding on the other hand has a much warmer voice. yet each song on her album, iroincally named lights, is overproduced within an inch of its life and those which appeared previously on the interwebs in demo version lost quite a lot of their charm and appeal. the jury is still out which one of these gals will have staying power.

LIGHTS - Toes - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

uh huh her: "another case"

it seems as though uh huh her is going for a wall-of-sound technique on "another case," taken from their new album nocturnes. it's not entirely convincing at first. then everything is kicked up a notch at the 1:45 mark beginning with a simple yet effective riff that's repeated until the song reaches a feverish climax. it's OK to fall in love again.

Uh Huh Her - Another Case - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

melanie: "brand new key"

i've had this song stuck in my head the last two days. now you can, too. you're welcome. it's all about the '70s anyway. the '70s are the new '90s are the new black. obviously.

johan reinhold: "shoot me down"

the day was coming to an end and after listening to over 100 songs, not a one struck even a passing fancy. then i heard "shoot me down" by johan reinhold. though the lyrical content is one of perpetual hopelessness, the song gave me eternal hope that good music is out there if you're willing to wait for it. in some ways the song seems suited for the next edition of monster ballads, with its attention-grabbing opening electric guitar riff and '80s-inspired power ballad drums on the chorus. but it works. coupled with reinhold's smooth vocals, this is a modern torch song for the ages.

Shoot Me Down by Johan Reinhold

glen campbell: "any trouble" and "a thousand lives"

glen campbell's swan song album, ghost on the canvas, puts him in a unique position to control his musical legacy once he retires. after all, most artists with such a long, storied career as campbell's often leave work unfinished, retire and then make a comeback, or simply disappear into that good night. however, since being diagnosed with alzheimer's campbell has claimed that ghost will be his final album and is already on a world tour aptly titled "the goodbye tour." unless he's taking a page from the cher farewell tour playbook, it's safe to say that this will be last time we ever hear from campbell. ghost combines modern covers that hearken back to his "wichita lineman" days along with solid originals, such as "a thousand lifetimes." it's a remarkable album befitting of such a musical giant whose career has spanned 50 years.

Glen Campbell - A Thousand Lifetimes

Glen Campbell - Any Trouble

primary 1: "magic," "nightmare power," and "A.O.K."

for the record: other people, by primary 1, is one of, if not, the best album of the year. even with its abundance of driving beats, slick production and tricked-out synths, it's filled with a warmth and compassion that is severely lacking in today's pop music. much of that can be attributed to joe flory's absolutely dreamy voice and the conviction and spirit with which he puts across every one of the lyrics. even on the bouncier numbers, like "A.O.K.," it's evident but there's always a wry undertone in his delivery.

the londoner, who had previously been contented to keep his identity anonymous, is finally set to get some deserved recognition on his debut album -- which, by the way, came out in late march -- after releasing two singles and a string of remixes for artists such as the shoes. of course the recognition may be short-lived as flory has stated that other people will be the first and last album under the incarnation of primary 1.

Primary 1 - A.O.K. - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

Primary 1 - Nightmare Power (feat. Lauren Verge) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

Primary 1 - Magic - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

BOY: "little numbers"

i have to thank my friend, jeff (a.k.a. the new jan brady), for turning me on to this feist-y number. the german/swiss duo BOY just released their debut album, mutual friends, last month and while it's rather underwhelming as a whole, the tune "little numbers" is a standout. with a driving piano beat and sing-song chorus, it's certainly one of those stuck-in-your-head-all-day kind of tunes. don't say i didn't warn you.

by the way, if you haven't checked out jeff (a.k.a. the new jan brady)'s blog, StereoType, you must. especially the mix-tapes. they're totes to die.

BOY - Little Numbers - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

MEAN: "you like boys" and "muscles"

does anyone remember avenue d? they were a new york duo who had several underground club hits including the sassy, fabulous "do i look like a slut?" their songs did not break any new musical ground, nor were they considered anything more than a novelty act. however their songs were insanely catchy and, more importantly, fun. part of the reason that made them fun is that they never seemed to take themselves seriously. the philadelphia duo MEAN seem to be taking up the slack since avenue d disbanded. their debut album, fake believe, is available for free on their bandcamp site and features both the tracks below, most notable of which is "you like boys," a hilarious fag hag call-out to all in-the-closet, straight-acting gay boys.

MEAN - Muscles - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

MEAN - You Like Boys - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

radical face: "ghost towns"

i had not heard of radical face until my bestie suggested we go see him this week. we never did make it, but for those of you who are as unfamiliar in radical face, as i am (or was), let me do my part to educate you. radical face is the solo project of ben cooper. cooper is one half of electric president. his first album as radical face was ghost in 2007, which was a concept album based on the idea of stories that have happened in houses over years. some of the songs were told from the house's point of view. his new album, the family tree: the roots, has just been released and is gaining a lot of buzz, even on iTunes, which has selected "ghost towns," featured here as their indie spotlight of the week. the tune is a touching piano/acoustic ballad with an almost mournful vocal delivery and what sounds like a sample, near the end, of "nearer my god to thee." (am i the only one who can hear that?)

Radical Face - Ghost Towns - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

dear reader: "monkey (you can go home)"

Dear Reader - MONKEY (You Can Go Home) - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

pearl and the puppets: "little diamonds"

it isn't often that i go ga-ga for a piano ballad. but there's something special about pearl and the puppets' "little diamonds," with its sparse arrangement and pearl's breathy, moving delivery. ellie goulding and marina and the diamonds fans should take note of pearl's prowess.

Pearl And The Puppets - Little Diamonds - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

project jenny, project jan: "lucky me"

apparently this is the week i'm going deep^* and exploring the nether regions and uncharted territory on my iTunes library. that's fine with me. sometimes the unknown road is the best route to take. i'm not sure if brooklyn's project jenny, project jan subscribes to that theory, but it's possible. take"lucky me," taken from their album home sweet home, released in april, starts out down a certain path, then quickly takes a hard left and brings you down a path that leaves you with a sense of wonder. haunting, and yet poppy enough to be memorable, there's something almost childish about "lucky me."

Project Jenny, Project Jan - Lucky Me - thepopsucker.blogspot.com by the Pop Sucker

^*that's what she said.