dragonette: "let it go"

dragonette's newest. 'nuff said.

ghost beach: "too young"

"we shine/like diamonds/covering the sea/but i feel/separate sidewalks/underneath our feet"

sameblod: "loud"

it's attack of the swedish pop stars! ahh, but this one has a san francisco twist fellow bay area comrades. frederick rundquist, one half of sameblod (translated: same blood), was raised in the city. i think that's about as far as the twist goes. sorry, that was kind of let down. i'll admit it. but the duo is gearing up for their debut album braided memos, which will be released april 20 via riot factory. "loud" is a coolly calculated indietronic number rife with synths, beats and various swedish fabulousness. you know, i post so much swedish pop i might as well go ahead and learn their language. i should rosetta stone that shit. excuse me, rosetta stone den skiten.

ABBA: "soldiers" and "one of us"

we could go on for hours about which ABBA song is the greatest. "dancing queen"? "knowing me, knowing you"? "waterloo"? endless choices. i opt for "one of us," followed closely by "lay all your love on me." the former was a single from the group's eighth and final album, the visitors. the song is gut-wrenching in its simplicity and heartbreak from the opening mandolins, evoking images of quivering lips preceding a deluge of tears, to agnetha's wails and forlorn tale of a relationship gone awry.

the visitors is, in my estimation, ABBA's masterpiece. elegant, sophisticated, mature, yet bearing all the trademarks of their operatic, maddeningly-complex-yet-instantly-accessible pop gems. just listen to "soldiers," one of their lesser-known album tracks. the visitors will be released in a deluxe edition on april 23 with bonus tracks and a DVD of previously unreleased footage.

ABBA - soldiers

[VIDEO] gin blossoms: "hey jealousy"

my friend jeff (aka the new jan brady) played this song in his car on saturday. i hadn't heard it in years. i remember when it was popular. that was in 1993. then i did the math. ((le sigh))

rangleklods: "young and dumb"

rangleklods' "young and dumb" plays like a film noir movie. it's dark, haunting, almost sordid. it's filled with shadows and light. the song, taken from the danish group's home EP, takes you into its confidence on a zigzagging journey of sonic debauchery. like any good film noir, it's gritty and hard-hitting; and just when you think it's over, the twist ending is revealed.

the shins: "no way down"

with some songs it's all about the bridge. this begs the question: why does the bridge of a song sound so good? while there may not be an exact science to the pleasures of a bridge, there are myriad reports of how music positively impacts the brain, increasing brain function and improving memory, not to mention the release of certain "feel good" chemicals that tells the brain (and body) that it is feeling pleasure and arousal. (the same is true for sad songs or those connected with unpleasant feelings.) several songs by the shins have given me the chills. "new slang" and "pink bullets" come to mind. their new album, port of morrow, features yet another chills-inducing track, "no way down," which brings me back to the original statement. with some songs it's all about the bridge.

navajo youth: "heavy heart"

there are few artists that encapsulate the finer points of britpop, especially where british electropop is concerned. you can add navajo youth to the short list. the solo artist (real name: sam bennett) clearly draws inspirations from '80s artists like erasure. but works in a modern flair a la blue, frankmusik, and patrick wolf. 

there's something surprisingly operatic about his sound and arrangements, especially on songs like "heavy heart," the title track from his second EP -- which was written, recorded and produced entirely in his bedroom -- and a power to his voice that belies the fragile image often portrayed in photos. and check out the rick astley irony going on his new video "heartbreaker" below. loves it. (no word yet on whether bennett is, in fact, part native american.)

man without country: "closet addicts anonymous"

there are lots of different closet addicts. there's the carrie bradshaw kind, obsessed with shoes and fashion and constantly lamenting that the space is just not big enough. ("where do the shoes go?" / "you get one of those racks that hangs over the door.") then there are those that are addicted to staying in the closet. and you know how that goes, mary. it's unclear what kind of closet addict man without country is singing about. (or that there was even a twelve-step program for such addicts.) since the tune is a shoegazer, the lyrics, as is often the case, are hard to decipher. no matter. move your body. and get out of the closet.

fiorious on fiorious: track-by-track + new video

on thursday we premiered the song "man alive" from fiorious off his eponymous debut album. the album is finally available, and you can scoop it up as a free download, in exchange for your email, for a limited time. the deluxe edition, featuring the album's 8 tracks and a whopping 19 remixes, will drop in may. last saturday i had the pleasure of speaking with the man himself all the way in bologna, italy, and we dished on the album, its making, the remixes, and upcoming projects (album 2 is already being recorded!). then we went track-by-track through the album and its nu-disco, pop confections. here's fiorious in his own words. plus check out the video for the new single "7 steps" below.

elevator
i was walking around a museum in LA and it was one of those moments where you catch the muse, or the muse catches you. i just started humming it and singing it. that's kind of how i am. i'm kind of like a crazy person (laughs), and i'll kind of start mumbling under my breath. and i just have to get into a little recorder. then i'll start humming and humming and humming. that's [how] "elevator" was born.

so pretty
i think people respond to it maybe more than i do. when i made it, i was just testing things out. but i would play it for my nephew, and he would dance and go crazy! the concept is not so complicated. it's another confidence and attitude song. it's a swagger song. i've grown to really like it, and people really like it.

i'm in love with a german film star
i found that song on a compilation and it became my LA driving song. it's lonely, haunting and i wanted to capture that feeling of driving around at night. i wasn't going to release it 'cause the pet shop boys released theirs, but then i did it anyway. it's a little different than the other songs on the album.

if you wanna dance (don't leave your room)
this song started from one of my own demos, and one of my producer marco tozzi's songs. he just had that line, "if you wanna dance, don't leave your room," and i wrote the rest and we gave it an electro-daft punk-italo disco vibe.

man alive
this came from a quick demo and my producer put some old casios on it that i really liked. sometimes you just work on things, and it came to me. the first thing i tried, it worked. it's very retro and fresh and i love the mark ronson, outkast, bowie stuff going on at the end.

new york city girl
it's a slow kind of head-bobbing song. it started out as a rock song, almost like a white stripes song. then we added some run dmc drums and it became this soul thing. scuola furano did a remix of it for the deluxe edition and took the song to this acid/deep house place.

7 steps
the song (and the video) is all about masks and transformation. there was no post-production on the video. everything was projected onto me. describing the animals at the beginning: i wanted to show you can be inspired by animal, inhabit the spirit of an animal; change your look.

sun-kissed afternoon
this started from a guitar line and i thought it was beautiful. but i didn't know i would make it work. (there's a guitar and vocal version on the deluxe edition that i really love.) but i thought i'd try putting some soul II soul drums on it. it feels like a real song.

deep sea arcade: "girls"

playing like a james bond theme inspired by '90s alternative radio hits, deep sea arcade's "girls" is all kinds of cinematic. the tune is from the sydney band's debut album outlands and was recently featured as iTunes indie spotlight free download in the us. drawing on inspirations from baroque pop and guitar rock, the band has been touring australia the last few years the five lads now have their sights set on america.

lindsay lohan: "nobody 'til you"

aww, remember when lindsay had all her wits about her? neither do i. this is from 2004's speak.*

* p.s. i am perfectly fine with you judging me for posting this song.

the chain gang of 1974: "hold on"

when i first moved to san francisco there was a new radio called energy 92.7. it was all dance and dance-pop music which catered primarily to the gays. apparently there are quite a few of us here, which is interesting because it's really hard to spot us as we generally keep a low profile. nevertheless the station was a huge hit -- it has since been taken over by new management and turned into yet another generic top 40 station; lame -- and was in many ways reminiscent of the halcyon days of the 1970s gay ole san francisco, and the emergence of disco. energy 92.7 introduced a new generation of gays to the wonders of dance music. one of the staples was the magnificent "when the dawn breaks" by narcotic thrust, which had a killer bass line running through it. i bring it up not because the chain gang of 1974 has anything to do with narcotic thrust, but because the chain's (and it's only one guy, kamtin mohager) song "hold on" has a similarly wonderful bass line. ferocious.

gossip: "perfect world"

gossip are back. revel in it.

[EXCLUSIVE PREMIERE] fiorious: "man alive"

the origin of the phrase "man alive" is hard to pin down. some scholars date it back to the 17th century while others believe it was used as early as the 14th century. one thing that is agreed upon is that the phrase was originally used, and still is, as an expression of surprise, often disbelief, at something extraordinary. but it should come as no surprise that fiorious' "man alive" is just that: something extraordinary. slowly but surely over the last year the electropop singer-songwriter has been building buzz, and for good reason. his sound is an irresistible conflation of throwback soul, nu-disco, funk, and pop. (check out his track "elevator," here, which was our #3 song of 2011.) "man alive" -- from its thumping intro bass and hooky piano chords, to the undeniably catchy handclaps during the bridge -- is a track bursting with color and life. it comes from fiorious' long-awaited debut album, which will be released next week exclusively at his site. we'll be bringing you more fiorious then. the wait is finally over.

johnny neon: "hearts"

spring is next tuesday but you'd never know it here in san francisco. we're getting pelted with rain until sunday. but instead of wallowing we're moving full-steam ahead with the springtime music. like johnny neon's "hearts." with a beat reminiscent of robyn's "dancing on my own," the cape town singer-songwriter (real name: johnny kotze) delivers a slam-bang, thrill crazy springtime pop tune.

tanlines: "all of me"

you cannot imagine how frustrating it is as an internationally famous music blogger to listen to hundreds upon hundreds of songs every day and not be smitten by a-one. then the "eureka!" moment occurs and you wonder, "what the hell took you so long?!" so a big heartfelt thank must be extended to tanlines who shook me from my misery. the new york duo is a band to watch this year. their debut album, mixed emotions, is aptly titled as their influences are vast and used effectively on tracks like "all of me." pre-order the album here and catch 'em on tour this spring:

Mar 23rd - Manchester, Night and Day
Mar 24th - Death Disco @ The Art School, Glasgow (with Lone, Blondes + residents)
Mar 27th - London, Cargo
Wed, Apr 11 - Washington, DC - DC9
Thu, Apr 12 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
Fri, Apr 13 - Philadelphia, PA - Making Time @ Voyeur
Sat, Apr 14 - Middleton, CT - Wesleyan University
Mon, Apr 16 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore
Tue, Apr 17 - Toronto, ON - Wrong Bar
Wed, Apr 18 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
Thu, Apr 19 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Fri, Apr 20 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
Mon, Apr 23 - Vancouver, BC - Fortune Sound Club
Tue, Apr 24 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
Wed, Apr 25 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Fri, Apr 27 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop
Sun, Apr 29 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
Mon, Apr 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo
May 10th – Brighton, Great Escape
May 11th - Paris, Fleche D'or
May 15th - Uebel & Gefaehrlich, Hamburg
May 16th - Flamingo, Berlin

donkeyboy: "we can be friends"

it's unclear how norweigan pop band donkeyboy arrived at their name but according to urban dictionary, a "donkey boy" is "one who has a unusually large penis, usually a younger gentleman." whatever the case may be i suppose it's better than calling your band donkeypunch. (although i'm quite surprised there hasn't been a band named donkey punch yet.) donkeyboy, however, delivers some wonderful and highly addictive europop. their second album, silver moon, was recently released in norway. check out the roxette-sounding track "we can be friends" below. it follows their massively popular debut caught in a life, which was a huge hit in scandinavia and produced two #1 hits, "ambitions" and "sometimes."

donkeyboy - we can be friends

mozart parties: "black cloud"

trust: "bulbform"

debut album, TRST, out now. get it.

azealia banks: "212" (feat. lazy jay)

azealia banks leaves virtually nothing open to interpretation and shockingly little to the imagination on "212." but with a beat that scorching and skills that developed, it's all worth it.

ruby goe: "get on it"

need to kick-start your monday? ruby goe should do it. this britpop singer is poised to be the next big thing. "get on it" is her debut single. and it's siiiiiick.

midi matilda: "ottawa" and "day dreams"

san franciscans hit the jackpot this weekend. we were treated to some of the nicest, sunniest, warmest weather we've had in a long time. it was glorious. not a cloud in the sky during the day and not a single sign of any fog. windows wide open at night, a cool breeze blowing. it was truly an "i heart SF" weekend. and now you have another reason to say "i heart SF" with midi matilda. they're a duo here in the city making some dreamy indie pop. check out "day dreams" and "ottawa" below, as well as the cool stop-motion video for "day dreams." both tracks are featured on their debut EP, red light district, which is available at a name-your-own-price on bandcamp. this is your soundtrack for your next perfect weekend.

estelle: "back to love"

this song carried me through all afternoon as i strolled around the beautiful city of san francisco on a perfect, crystal clear sunny day. perfect springtime song.

riot !n magenta: "CTRL"

mysterious and erotic, riot !n magenta's "CTRL" is one of the moodiest, soulful electronic pop songs this year. riot is a duo -- eugenia yip and hayashida ken -- from singapore. they're relatively new, with only two original songs and one remix on their soundcloud page. but don't fret. they're building buzz in singapore and with songs like these, it's only a matter of time before more people take notice.

kidda: "the whistler" and "take care of yourself"

there's a new lease on life when it comes to whistling in pop songs. peter, bjorn and john scored a big whistling hit in 2006 with "young folks," and foster the people helped kick-start a whistling craze last year with "pumped up kicks." but the novelty is nothing new. since man realized he had lips human beings have been whistling. so whistling parts in pop songs just makes sense. they're often the most memorable part of a song simply for the fact that nearly every can whistle along with it. i remember on the lyrics sheet of cyndi lauper's album she's so unusual there was printed the line "whistle along here" in the lyrics for "she bop." easy-to-follow instructions. so i did it. (check out rolling stone's 15 best whistling songs here.) 

whistling is addictive. so it makes sense that in kidda's song, he just cuts to the chase and gives us the whistling part up front. the song is even called "the whistler." however the song is not just about the whistling. it's a sweet, '70s funk-inspired love song with a hook big enough to make you want to... well, you know. also featured is "take care of yourself." both songs appear on kidda's album hotel radio. you can get that here.

lila rose: "lost your senses"

it's unfortunate for lila rose the singer that she shares her name with an ultra-conservative, ultra-despicable anti-choice advocate. but judging by lila the singer's look and sound, she certainly won't be confused with lila the conservative. not only does she have a unique look, but she's got a distinct voice that sounds like a combination between nelly furtado, bjork, and kerli. while her voice makes it seem like she's from some tiny european country, she's actually from canada and now lives in san francisco. heart machine, her new album, is a brutally addictive mixture of pop, electronica, and trip-hop. check out one of the tracks, "lost your senses," below.